Lovemarks

It was during the time I was working at McDonnell Douglas Tymnet in San Jose when I saw my first Macintosh Computer. The creators of this machine, Apple Computer would soon become my "lovemark" brand, if you will.


At the time I was feeling frustrated that everyone was so resistant to change. We were using clunky "command-line" editors to create our network downtime schedules. I believed there had to be a better way! Even though other parts of the company had developed certain technologies that could make us all more productive, my group had no interest in improving.

One evening I was visiting with some friends who had just bought an Apple Macintosh computer, called a "Mac Plus". This was a "portable" computer because it was a singe-unit construction (plus a keyboard and mouse), weighed less than 50 pounds and it had a handle on it. But what I saw on the screen changed my life. It was unbelievable. You could move a file to the trash by just - moving it. You held a little device in your hand called a "mouse". By moving the mouse along a flat "mouse pad" you could move the arrow on the tiny grey 9-inch screen in any direction! It was mind-blowing! Instead of ugly all-caps green glowing text, there were little graphic images of the files! Rather than remembering the syntax for >: DELETE ##somefile.*, someotherfile.#xx, etc, the "delete" was an image of a trash can! You controlled the computer by moving this little mouse around and clicking on things!

It seemed obvious it would soon become unnecessary to memorize commands. That my skills operating the PDP-10 mainframe, the PDP-11 front-end processor (this was Bill Gates' first niche), Foonly, and IBM AT were now archaic. This disturbed and excited me.

Soon after this, I got a job at a small company called Adobe Systems. Software Test was a new career direction for me. I remember one of the pivotal interview questions was "would you have a problem learning the Macintosh?" I was almost giddy and was very happy to get the job.

As time went on I learned about Steve Jobs and the connection between Apple Computer and Adobe Systems. Steve Jobs' goal was to be able to display anything on the computer screen and print exactly the same thing! Adobe technology made this and the first laser printer possible. This was "getting it".

Way back then, I was mainly a fan of Steve Jobs. Here is someone who seriously "got it". I was lucky to be constantly working with brilliant poeple, all of them Mac fans. Before this I was alone, now I was with family. In the beginning, all our software was designed for Macintosh. Later, we ported Adobe Illustrator 4.0 for Windows but it was really hard and it really sucked because graphics was just an afterthought for Windows. Kind of like cupholders in cars.

After Steve Jobs was forced out of Apple, the dark ages of ignorance and evil had begun to creep in. The investment community didn't know how to think of Apple. The managers that were trained in academia didn't know how to manage Apple. Being able to perceive people's needs and provide a great product to fill them was incomprehensible to them. As Apple got weaker and weaker, Adobe committed to creating all their software in tandem on Macintosh and on Windows. Further, Mac users were being verbally assaulted, being called "Mac Heads"! It was a dark time for the empire.

Eventually, out of desperation, Dr Gil Emelio, CEO of Apple Computer, decided to purchase one of Steve Job's companies, called NeXT (Steve also owned PIXAR!). NeXTSTEP was the undisputed best operating system in the world that could run on a small computer. Guess who came along for the ride? It wasn't long before Steve Jobs became the "Interim CEO" of Apple Computer!

Since then, Apple has been able to convince the world of a better way. They provided the gorgeous iMac, iBook, developed a Mac User Interface for NeXTSTEP and a seamless way for users to migrate to it, the digital Hub was now possible and the Mac could now be the main connection for all sorts of digital devices. They created the iPod, the smart iPhone and the iPad (all major airlines have adopted the iPad to replace the 50 pounds of manuals normally required in the cockpit!).

My most recent experience has been with my 17" Apple MacBook Pro I bought over 5 years ago. It has endured almost constant use with heavy multi-track audio recording sessions, photoshop use, etc. I have not had a single virus or any other problem with this computer. As a result I've been able to focus on my music, the designs on my band website, and all my varied school projects. I don't have to fuss with Windows service packs or virus software or wondering if some hardware device doesn't work with the motherboard. Apple designs both the hardware and software and it's tested together before being shipped to adoring customers. After you buy the computer or other device, you don't have to worry about buying more devices to make it connect. Apple includes all the add-ons. Apple ships beautiful, easy-to-use devices for listening, reading, and communicating. Apple's philosophy of not having to read the manual to get it to work has spread first to Adobe, then other software makers, then hardware makers. That's part of "getting it".

Perhaps my early story is non-typical. I was lucky enough to be there and was part of the changes that were taking place. I felt the smothering stale stuffy frustration of life before the Mac changed the world. I remember the times when I wanted to give up and just drive away and start a simpler life. Since then I observed and learned how some people "got it" and others sought the perceived safety of tradition.

My "lovemark" for Apple Computer has grown from my roots as a human being. We are human beings because we adapted to difficult conditions. We invented tools. We constantly advanced - or we died. But the toolmakers and technology inventors saved the rest from predators and starvation. Just like Windows now has pretty good graphics, sound, music, Premiere, Photoshop, etc. If it wasn't for the Macintosh, there would have been no need for those immense and costly changes to the Microsoft operating system. Does anybody "get it?"

Band Website Review - the Killers

The Killer's are currently a very popular band and have become influential on the music scene. Record companies seem to be creating or signing bands that sound like the Killers. The band hails from Las Vegas and have been an entity for about 10 years.

The band's music brings together sounds from techno, pop, and rock to create something unique and catchy. The lyrics and melodies are highly active, that is, they are designed as the center of focus to drive a feeling. Of course, this may very well be the definition of pop music. While satisfying the basic tenets of pop music, the songs go far beyond them by being intelligent and sophisticated. At the same time, the instrumentals and production allows plenty of room for moodiness. The accompanying music supports the theme, sometimes as little echoing whisps that subtly refine the center of attention, and sometimes as very powerful reinforcement of the justification of the pain you carry down deep.

A little more about the bands persona. They project a no-nonsense aura and at the same time are able to avoid the "take-yourselves-too-seriously" problem. The band is on your side. When you listen to the music you might become subtly aware that we all must be hiding our feelings and protecting them with convoluted structures. The Killer's music creates a very pure brave persona who honestly puts human feelings out there. The conflicts the person faces are real and painful. In the process of doing this, the band also JUSTIFIES your feelings. Yes, there is murder and there are actions and reactions. But there is no ugliness of contrived revenge, passive-aggressive anger or retribution. Of course we all identify with the emotions and this is how the music gets "under your skin."

With the music in mind, lets consider the important images the band must put across on their website. Will it destroy the complex and delicate lattice of opinion I have developed by listening to the music? How will it add to or change my opinion of the band? I am expecting a lot as I click on the Killer's website.

Ooooh when I fist open the page there is an intriquing photo that fills the page. It is a flat, wide-open expanse of frozen land, occupied by a large frozen tour bus and what appears to be a retro (old) TV box, sitting out there alone. The edge of some structure is noticeable on the right edge. This first scene is edgy and tends to enhance the band's image.

The logo is the traditional Killers logo, which looks like an old-fashoned marquee, lit with little lights that are dots. The color of the logo is a light tan. However, as it is placed over the dreary greyish-blue sky background, it appears to be gold. So far, it looks pretty good.

The menu items are also set in light tan. The font is some modern offshoot of Helvetica. It looks modern and retro at the same time. It is beautiful. Due to the thin font and light color, the menu items are difficult to read. They are located in a place that you would expect them to be, top and center, so they are not difficult to find. This weakness becomes a strength when you move the cursor over the text. As you do, the entire menu area changes color enough to read clearly. This is cool. Now you can see how it is layed out. The page menus change to white and the album names are shades of tan/gold. There is nothing cheesy about this site. My opinion of the band is confirmed. They presented something new and it has not disappointed. At the same time, I am intrigued to see if there's a bigger picture.

Hmmm is that all there is on this page? While I'm here, why don't I just drag my mouse-cursor around on the page? It's a cool picture. But wait! When I drag the mouse over the bus, the bus lights come on! A large "TOUR" title appears over the bus. I click on the bus and a page appears showing a list of tour dates and locations. Nice.

I return to the opening page and move the mouse around again. As I drag it over the TV/Radio, it lights up and the word "NEWS" appears above it. Of course! When I click on the TV/Radio, a news page comes up that displays the latest goings-on of the band. Interesting, a U2 tribute album that the Killers are contributing to. Even though I like the band, I get the impression that I underestimated them.

Back to the main page, nothing else lights up. As I move my cursor to the right edge, something unexpected happens. The entire landscape scene moves over and I can see some new structures. This apparently become the page for their first album, "HOT FUSS," which was released in 2004. As you move the mouse around there seem to be random hot-spots that will activate the "HOT FUSS" title. If you click when the title is displayed, you'll get a new page that's superimposed over the page you left. That is, you can still see the scene where you were, but it appears dark and the information about the album appears. Pretty cool.

I want to see what other "scenes" there are. As I hold the cursor near the right edge of the screen, the scene continually and seamlessly scrolls and changes as it moves. The scene changes from day to night and there are various items on the landscape where links are created for "Music", "Photos", another album "SAMS TOWN", "Videos", "Sawdust", "Day and Age", "Gift Shop", and "The Victims" (this would be the fan site).

There is a highway that stretches away from you as if you are standing in the middle of the road. If you click on the road sign that says "Somewhere" you'll be redirected to the fan message board. You have to sign up to be able to see or leave any messages.

The Killer's band site doesn't really do much to reaffirm my original view of the band. I don't feel any connection to any of the song videos I have seen. However, the site creates a sort-of generally mysterious aura for the band and this is consistent with the music. An adoring fan will not be hindered from forging a connection between this site and the aura of the band. The importance of this fact should not be underestimated; this site doesn't limit what the band can do with their music. In this sense I will say it is well done.

Email for Cash!

Here is an urban legend that has been circulating for a while, but it re-appeared in my email recently. This is the story that Microsoft will pay you $245 for each person you forward the email to.

  

Yes! You heard correctly! Microsoft and AOL are performing email beta tests and they are willing to pay big $$ to you if you would just forward this email to all your friends!

When you get this email your mind is fluttering between "this is stupid" and "what if it's real?" The idea is so ludicrous that something happens in your mind. "What if it's REAL!!!" after all, the email quotes lawyers who have "checked it out" and it's all "legit." Plus, what's the big deal... it's easy to forward a few emails.

How can one free themselves of this dilemna? One safe way to start is to consider the facts. What can we know about this type of claim?

Why don't we think about what's going on in technology today? Email is old news. Billions of emails are sent every day. It is one of the simplest forms of communication on the internet since it is usually very small and doesn't involve any special video streaming or special treatment of any kind.

                   

                  The "legend" claims that AOL and Intel have to test their email in order to ensure that AOL remains the most widely used program. The facts are that the internet uses industry standards and there is no way to use a completely proprietary system that the internet can't route. Email programs abound and they are all pretty easy to use. Having a successful email client wouldn't distinguish one company over another or "ensure" anything.

Since the quotes from "lawyers" seem to give the email an aire of legitimacy, let's think about this. These are just words in an email. Can you look up these "lawyers" and verify that they exist and that they actually "checked it out?" It's just easier to go ahead and forward the email... just to be sure!

The most fascinating thing about this email is that someone really did forward it. In fact, this has been bouncing around the internet for years, so thousands of people have been forwarding it. Does this mean all of them have similar reasons for forwarding it? Are they all completely ignorant of technology and how the world works? This particular email was forwarded by a friend of my mom's. Their purpose was probably to feel helpful, needed, "in the know." Their knowledge of computers and internet is limited to sending email and poking around on the internet.

This legend plays upon various "worldviews." One, that the super-rich are soooo rich that they wouldn't notice the stupidity of paying anyone $245 to forward an email. Another "worldview" is that lawyers know everything and will make sure that an email claim is enforced.

When I first saw this email, I thought it was funny and that nobody would believe it. Then I wondered about those people who got their $24,800.00 checks and I thought wow it must be real!!! What do I have to lose! Everything was quite compelling. The big corporations, the rich tycoons, the lawyers. All became a buzz of OMG I gotta get the money or I'll regret it!!!!

                   

But then I realized that all the people that forwarded it to me must have believed it. Apparently, in their rush to get some cash the didn't have time to get the real scoop on snopes. There were a lot of people believing this, with no evidence whatsoever. But if it were so, I'm sure I would have heard that my mom's friend was driving around in a Mercedes.

This legend seems to gain momentum in a population distrustful of large corporations and the government. Conspiracy theories abound. This particular legend plays upon the perceived disconnect of the sort-of alternate rules that large corporations play by.

It is an unsettling thought that the masses (the voting public!) are basically ignorant of the issues facing corporations and government. People who don't have a feel for these issues are most likely to accept and pass on legends like this.

Advertising Map

Our team investigated some subtle advertisements on the Yavapai College campus. We determined to analyze the U.S. Army Kiosk in the cafeteria lobby.

There was a stand that held several different brochures, each with photos of young military people on the front. Each person seemed to project a certain bold, confident, decisive, joy. The colors of the stand were very dark, almost black. Strength was projected. The location of the kiosk was of prime importance, in a cafeteria lobby at a community college. This was a high-traffic area where young people pass by. Perhaps many of whom are still deciding what they want to do with their lives. They might be an easier target, if you will, of an ad campaign seeking to recruit many young soldiers.

Evaluating some Pop Culture Bloggers

In order to expand my Pop Culture bubble, I looked up several blogs about various aspects of Pop Culture. These are in the areas of TV, Gaming, Microblogging, Movies and Books, and Music.

The first interesting blog I found relating to television's effects and usefulness to the world was written by Karen Sternheimer. It is entitled "TV's role in Social Cohesion".

This is a competently written blog about social cohesion. It talks about humans as social creatures and how they need to feel like part of a larger community. She talks about the work of Daniel Dayan and Elihu Katz and how they showed how major TV events are indicators of  "mechanical solidarity", creating a sense of community with others nationally and globally. The idea is that today we are less likely to feel that sense of community based on watching the same events on TV. This is due to the countless other entertainment and news sources we have today.

Karen Sternheimer is a competent writer and sociologist at the University of Southern California. She is the author of several books on Pop Culture. There does not seem to be any ulterior motive for her writings and she's not selling anything. I find her views interesting because they connect with the basic state of humanity, that is, the need to feel connected.

 In the deep dark world of gaming I found an interesting blog by Epic Greenman entitled "Please Allow Me to Carefully Explain Why You Should Import Xenoblade"

Epic Greenman is attempting to convince the RPG gamer to buy Xenoblade, even though it will require a modification to the Wii that some people may not want to do. Epic puts forth several convincing arguments, so many that myself, not a gamer, is seriously inclined to get a Wii and download Xenoblade. Epic uses many details in his discussions that have excellent merit: "rather than the typical RPG system where losing results in a Game Over, Xenoblade has a checkpoint system similar to an action game or shooter. This allows for even regular enemies to pose a serious threat and boss battles to take actual strategy".

Finally, Epic offers to help the gamer perform the needed mods to their equipment. Now if that isn't true blue gamer I don't know what is! If I get into gaming I would definitely follow Epics blogs because he has the knowledge that only intense gamers would have and he shares it with enthusiasm.

Microblogging refers to everything from text messaging to Twitter. Sidneyeve Matrix has a gamers name for sure, but don't let that fool you. She proves that she has the ability to present hard data as well as any analyst. Her blog, THE TWITTER NICHE: MILLENNIAL MICROBLOGGING makes an interesting point that Twitter has not become as highly used on college campus as one might expect. She cites several studies that seem to show that only a quarter of students on her campus use Twitter. As I look at the charts she shows, I see that the statistic she displays shows an average Facebook user is an unbelievable 38 years old, but the highest number of users is as I would expect, 18-25 year olds at 29%.

It seems that Sidneyeve's focus is on whether college campuses should invest in more infrastructure to reach students on Twitter. She believes the best way is to use a "cross-channel" messaging combo that includes all the major technologies. Sidneyeve's qualifications are impressive as she is a Queen's National Scholar and Assistant Professor in the Department of media and Film at Queen's University. She sounds highly technical and analytical so if I need hard facts I would look her up.

In my Movies and Books section, Bill White posts his opinion on "Harry Potter's Cultural Impact".

His premise is that no other movie/book series has had the cultural impact of Harry Potter. It is basically a personal opinion based on how much he loves the Harry Potter books and movies. He compares this series to the Hardy Boys books he read as a kid and claims that Harry Potter is much more imaginative. He claims that a significant number of children learned the "joy of reading" because of J.K. Rowlings books.

Bill White cites no data for these claims, but he puts it forth as a personal opinion, inviting other's opinions as well. I think his opinion is useful in getting another viewpoint because he is passionate about the subject and has read many books that a typical kid might read.

I think we are happy that there continues to be new entertainment and new music. In this blog called:

"Music isn't what it used to be", Kelly Spieker takes the typical "modern music isn't what it used to be" approach. Summarizing various music types over the decades seems to satisfy the belief that musicians and songwriters were more talented then but not now. This is a seriously brain-dead approach to music and it ignores the obvious concept that with every new music revolution there are those nostalgic types that can't accept anything new. Kelly just seems to be one in a long line of such non-accepters. I wouldn't choose to follow this blog because it doesn't offer anything new and it's not supported with any real argument.

In reality, there have always been songs that lack inspiration or craftsmanship, if you will. Looking over the top, the Beatles were excellent musicians and songwriters. Their music was and still is awesome. However, there is a lot of music appearing now that is revolutionary.

I hope you enjoyed my Pop Culture Blog Analysis

Getting the band back together

Josh and I want to get the band together again. We feel we have much more to bring to the stage. We were almost to the point where we felt we had a great show. We have some good old songs and some newer songs that may also be the catalyst for a new sound.

We will always mourn that our drummer, Jason Sayles, moved to Oregon. Finding a new one that can bring out the feeling in a song... will be difficult. Jason is the one playing on the courthouse steps in "Hideout" and in "One Step Back" at Calavera.

Now with school, and full-time work, time is an issue. We'll have to work effectively. That means less time as a group hacking away at songs and sounds. I will have to be disciplined and work on songs when I have time. I plan to basically punch them into Logic Audio so that the other players can hear the structure.

My philosophy with a band is similar to Warren Buffet's business philosophy: 'You get good people and expect good things from them.' What that means for a band is that if I'm the writer of a song, I will ask the bass player and drummer to create the tracks they feel. And they are usually incredibly well done because they are talented and because they have a feeling of ownership.

I put a few band videos on YouTube. I had to leave out several videos because the audio on the video camera was overloaded and sounds horrible. I hope you enjoy what I was able to save:

http://www.youtube.com/user/artofpla?feature=mhee

The Alien Who Almost Could

Greetings, Mister or Miss Alien! Welcome to Earth! Since you happened to crash-land at Yavapai College we'd like to show you our College Bookstore.

 

Why do we have a bookstore? So we can buy books!

 

Why do we want books? Because it's an important part of our education process to use books! Notice the books are arranged in groups, by the subject!

 

Why? Because some people think the human mind absorbs information more quickly if it is already organized, and it is easier to design an educational program by subject and thereby not miss anything important. In the bookstore, these books are organized by subject so they are easy to locate. For instance, here is a book on piloting a spacecraft. Perhaps you'll find it useful.

 

The store also has T-shirts and other merchandise, neatly emblazoned with the Yavapai College school logo.

 

Why? Because we feel pride about the school we attend and we want to wear it to show others that we value a good education. We might also meet new people based on the fact that they also go to our school.

 

Why?

 

As a society, we understand the value of a good first impression. Wearing a shirt with a logo is a potent first impression. A college logo lets others know you value a good education. The people that like the logo are people who also value many of the same things. And we feel more comfortable with people who share the same interests.

Well I can see, Mr Alien, that you have a lot to think about. Why don't we just head on out of here and see if we can't call a tow truck for your ship.