Lowe Studio LLC

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Short video shot via a Photocopier, 325 pages per minute. Can you get photocopy burnt from those things?
Inspiration for my ART 112 students who SHOULD be working on their Flash animations over this break?

These are 25 more reasons to phase out Firefox as a browser-of-choice on my own system. Firefox has gotten to be a clunky slow browser over the years…which is a shame. It was once simple, fast, and light…just like Chrome is today.
I guess that’s the lifecycle of a typical browser. They come out in the field looking oh so fresh and so clean, and then each year after that the developers are expected to add more to application till the point where the new features bog the program down rather than help. Over the 16 years I’ve been goofing with browsers, I’ve seen this pattern quite a few times.
Even if you’re just a casual user, I’d recommend trying another browser beyond just the default Internet Exploder or Safari that might come installed on your computer…it may have been years since you’ve last upgraded those programs anyway, so you might as well download a fresh web browser that has pretty reliable performance. Chrome (whether PC or Mac) has turning out to be one of my favorites this year. It’s FREE! Get it!

I’ve heard it said that business cards are on their way out…soon to be (or already) replaced by the digital age. I suppose these folks bump iPhone contacts regularly? These folks clearly have not spent a day in the shoes of a marketing or sales person who has to attend an evening at a networking function.
But even if this were so, I think it would be a shame to lose this little element of business marketing. When you get a card from someone you’ve just met, it’s like a little first-taste of what’s to come.
My own cards has worked out pretty well for me…it’s an instant conversation starter. The minute I hand the card to someone at a table, it’s likely that everyone else on that same table will ask to receive one. Of course that can get kind of pricey….my cards didn’t come cheap. But I figure even if I picked up just ONE project as a result of the card, it would have paid for the whole box full of them.
Check out this great collection of wonderful business card ideas. Some of these ideas made my card seem boring in comparison. *boo hoo* (via WebDesignerWall)

We brought Kingston to his first Trick-or-Treat event at the local mall today. He got a big bag full of candy…which will likely be consumed by dad. It turned out ok…I’m not sure who really had any fun. Kingston had no idea what was going on and wanted nothing but to run full steam into the throngs of costumed people the whole time. So dad ended up carrying this bundle of sweaty joy pretty much the entire loop of the Mall.
My arms felt like red vine candy by the end of the trip. /sigh. Well, we DID manage to keep his hat on long enough to take a few shots this year at least.

I saw this Tate exhibit mentioned on a few sites a couple weeks back. Originally my gut reaction was to roll my eyes “another stupid exhibit pitched as art”.
But it wasn’t until seeing the video that I kind of see the point of this. Apparently each one of these one hundred million seeds were hand crafted by 1600 artisans in a small chinese town that once designed pieces for royalty. Today many of them are out of work.
I especially admired some of the old-school Chinese techniques they demonstrated in the video.

Being Chinese myself, I must say…man when we do something, we do it big don’t we? (via Toxel)

Life is a little bit hellish lately…enough so I really feel like that Richard Lewis comedian where I should be dressing in all black everyday and just lamenting all my problems each day. I don’t like doing that too often. I try to stay optimistic, but then you guys wouldn’t have anything to read if I don’t bitch once in a while eh? I swear I try not to make too many ranting posts like this, but I gotta let off some steam!
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First glance I would have guessed this model got her Alien facehugger costume on backwards.
But as it turns out, this is actually a serious attempt at a portable helmet device that acts like an expandable airbag for bicyclists.
Not a bad concept actually, I see people riding bikes and motorcycles around all the time without helmets. This might actually save lives.
You’ll live another day wearing one of these…forget the fact you’ll lose some of your biker street cred wearing what looks like a scarf around your neck. Or the fact the paramedics might have a good chuckle seeing this wrapped around your head when they first show up on scene.
Full video demo after the link (via Toxel)

I’ve always been a Lego fan since I was a kid. Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to touch a Lego set for decades now…which is a shame, because I know really cool stuff exists that can even challenge an adult. Once a year, one of my best friends, a Math major and current successful system admin for a telcom company, takes a holiday week off and purchases these super expensive Lego sets that might take him a week to put together. It’s his way of relaxing. These sets are so exclusive Lego will only send you the catalog if you request it or if you’ve ordered stuff from them before.
I’m a bit jealous…I just don’t have the time or the expendable funds to to pick up a fancy Lego set yet. But perhaps in a few years I can get Kingston into this kinda stuff and we’ll make it a point to build something together.
Anyway, if you’re anything of a lego or R/C fan….check out this Gizmodo article on the R/C Metal Slug vehicle above. Video available too… so neat! I think I’ll send this link to my buddy and see if I can make his eyes pop out of his head.

Since my students are being introduced to Photoshop these few weeks, I thought this collection of 15 Photoshop Brush sets to be worth listing.