Make War series promo

A promo for our upcoming series Make War. It’s fun working with a voice over guy.

Christmas services promo

Here’s a little promo we ran this weekend for our Christmas services. I sweated much more time on the shadows and lighting than necessary, but I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out overall.

*** Note that this is the version that plays at our campuses, as it doesn’t include the Wednesday night service info.

Twitter-sized post

Here are a few Twitter-sized things I’d rather share via blog post.

Can’t wait until next weekend for the release of Tron: Legacy (me, too). Here’s some Tron Mac icons to dress your machine up. (and some retro Tron icons if you’d prefer).

Gift guide for anyone who loves coffee.

Just a reminder that simpledesktops.com is an awesome place to style your workspace without cluttering it. (my current favorite).

c60 Redux

I think I found something to replace my turntable.

c60 Redux from IDEO on Vimeo.

Saturday afternoon creativity project

I love the chance to stretch myself and combine some of the things I love. In today’s creative project I’m combining elements of G’s artwork (namely, robots and electrical components he’s so fond of drawing) with industrial photography. We’re making images for his “robot room.” Have a look at the work in progress.

Meet Buck.

Amazing, amazing art style.

Meet Buck from TeamCerf on Vimeo.

Christmas Offering Promo

I got to spend a little time in After Effects the other week, always a joy, and made a wintery promo for the NewSpring Christmas offering. You know, I could make Christmasy videos all year long. (and bonus: here’s part II of the video)

Where was that line?

Downright brilliant. You enter the phrase, this site tells you not only which movie it’s from, but also where in the movie it’s located. Pretty slick. Looking for a quote will forever be easier.

You enter the phrase, it tells you which movie it comes from. Amazing.

Subzin.com

Lego ornaments

Two of my favorite things, Lego and Christmas, combine together on this Flickr page. Awesome. And to take it up a notch, here are some directions on how to create your own Star Wars Death Star ornament.

So, think of all the awesome that combines to form this amazing feat. Lego, awesome. D.I.Y., awesome. Christmas, awesome. And Star Wars, awesome.

Make Photoshop Faster

Nice little tip over at Make Photoshop Faster to speed things up.

Looped violin

Makes me want to learn the violin.

Tech brainstorm

I need your help with an idea. I’m currently converting an old Westinghouse stereo cabinet into a TV/entertainment console for the den. It’s beautiful. Old tech meets new tech. I’m psyched.

My quandary; I want to leave this old metal/wood faceplate intact. But I’d like to repurpose it for something cool. I need some ideas, perhaps some links to parts, too.

So far my ideas were;
- power on/off buttons
- digital temperature readout
- digital RSS feed (not sure how… ideas welcome)
- clock

What would you do with this space?

Daedelus – Far From Home

Came across this new video this morning of Daedelus rocking out on a pair of monomes. In an arcade.

I still love it, the idea of tangibly creating music that exists primarily in an electronic medium. If his goal is to make this music feel tangible I would say he succeeded. Very well executed (and I believe I caught a shot of a 5D toward the end, no surprise there).

Imogen Heap’s Just for Love – live performance

I really appreciate seeing unique music executed live.

Hipstamatic Dali lens

My favorite toy camera app, Hipstamatic, just released a new Dali-inspired lens and film. Pretty surreal.

Musical apps that are inspiring me right now

I am continually fascinated by the concept of making music with small handheld devices. I’m not sure if it’s an influence of the style of music I enjoy, the fact that I have limited free time for creativity and need to have the ability to do so at a moment’s notice, that I carry an iPhone, or that it’s easier to keep my gadgets away from the kids (as opposed to a guitar). Regardless, the concept of “app store” has made it easier than ever to sketch out interesting musical ideas than ever before. Here are a few recent applications that have gotten my attention.

Reactable – based on it’s hardware big brother, you can use it to generate sounds and manipulate loops with a tactile feel. It does seem to require a lot of setup on the front end (feeding good loops you’ve prepared), but it’s quite pretty.

filtratron – load a sample, capture a sample through the iPhone mic, or just use the on board oscillator to generate real Moog-like tones. I’ll be using this app to capture interesting sounds, processing them into something interesting and unrecognizable, and exporting them for later use.

It’s a deep app, and just like it’s analog equivalent, every knob interacts with other knobs; it’s not just a singular function. Makes it harder to grasp, but rewarding and more intriguing in the long run.

This app, too, is just gorgeous. Take a look.

Wireseq – This app is a strange bird. It’s a music / phrase sequencer of sorts. You can set up sequences and patterns, defining notes. Then you trigger the patterns with if/then type rules akin to a cellular automata game. The idea is that a red square generates another red square (potentially triggering a note) unless it’s cancelled by another condition (like a blue square, or something like that).

The has a simple synthesis engine included that offers some variety without getting too much in the way. It’s sounds could easily fit into a b-side Radiohead track.

Regardless, I appreciate that within about 10 minutes I was able to get some usable and interesting tones, and the logic/math side of this app satisfied the engineer in me.

Don’t forget to check the click-track channel

Found this retro *photo today from the “olden days,” it’s a subtle reminder to route the audio correctly for a video click track.

Sometimes the simplest ways are the best.

* Photo proudly shot with LG Chocolate cell phone.

Pogo remix and derivative art

What a great example Pogo has created of derivative art, taking existing material and reinventing it into something artful and creative. This is a remix I admire that shows mastery of the form. I really hope we’re able to see his Pirates of the Caribbean mix soon.

Paper Star Wars

All kinds of loving this.

Sam Peacocke / VW ‘Milk Run’

What a gorgeous concept and well executed piece.