avclub.us » culture

Thermo + cooler

ken — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:43:47 +0000

When I graduated college and went to work full time my Dad got me a Stanley thermos just like the one he’s carried for years. The design is nearly identical to his, unchanged over the years. Today I came across this iteration on the set. Nice.

Transformers 3

ken — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 01:25:11 +0000

A few more on the set of Transformers 3.

The Real American Hero Rubber Band Rescue Effort

ken — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 15:45:44 +0000

The Real American Hero Rubber Band Rescue Effort is officially over. After scouring the piles of GI Joe parts (I gave G my collection about a year ago, turns out a toy based on a rubber band isn’t geared for long term use) I found 11 repair candidates.

The success rate was just under 50%.

What I didn’t factor in was the perils of water damage on the tiny screw that holds the chest together. And once that screw’s rusted out, well, that’s about all you can do.

I have a few that were plain missing the screw (like Dr Mindbender) so I’ll be harvesting parts from some of the other guys who were missing something more significant.

In the end, G gets 5 repaired soldiers, though I’m bummed that one of those is Raptor, the lamest of all GI Joes (next to maybe Chuckles or Big Boa).

** UPDATE: We located some more parts and rescued a few more characters tonight. Among those; a Cobra diver, Bar-B-Q (in his yellow and orange glory), and Major Bludd (who always reminded me if Cpt Hook)

A collection

ken — Wed, 12 May 2010 11:00:50 +0000

Further proof that a large grouping of just about anything can become a collection. I give you…
100 different bowling screens.

redirect:avclub

ken — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:57:35 +0000

In the new year I’m rethinking what to do with avclub. Don’t fret, I’ll keep it running. But over the past several years it’s evolved. Doesn’t every blog? Maybe that’s because blogs are personal and driven by the whims of their author. And authors change over time. Regardless, I’ve noticed over the past several months (or even the past full year) a lot of what the avclub has become is a regurgitation of information I find notable or inspirational. Some of that will continue. But I may begin to trade recycled content (and the frequency) for some more thought through ideas. This may mean I post less, but with more planning.

I’ve never been a big fan of blogs with lots and lots of words. Maybe it’s my short attention span, or the fact that I peruse around 150 sites a day (and in those volumes you have to become a scanner). Regardless, I’d like to tell more of a story; and utilize video, image, and hand-drawn scribble. Let me show you what’s inspiring me, or maybe (and more interestingly) show you the results of my inspiration. So let’s see where this goes.

C9s

ken — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:18:25 +0000

My beautiful wife writes a great post today about our family’s switch from tiny white lights to beautiful, bold, dangerous C9s on the Christmas tree. Get the story here.

[photopress:4150035865_02e9c3e9e6.jpg,thumb,pp_image]

Don’t Get Married Until…

ken — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:32:18 +0000

This weekend marked the beginning of a new series, Don’t Get Married Until… For the visual package and opener Perry’s sole request was that it should an element of hip-hop. Listening to the 90s station the other day I heard some Heavy D and I instantly knew it was the right choice. The goal in this piece is to set up the series with “if you’re ______, then you’re not ready to get married.” Here’s the resulting opener.

Tomorrow I’ll post of the preproduction details (and a special preliminary video), sketches, and talk a little about the process.

Dirt Conference

ken — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:56:24 +0000

In November Joshua and I will be trekking to Little Rock to be a part of Dirt Conference. It really dig the vibe of what they’re trying to do; empowering churches and artists to use the gifts they have and not complain about their limitations.

I’ll be a part of 4 labs covering team chemistry, motion graphics, how to communicate with your senior pastor (disclosure: I’m spoiled by my senior pastor, Perry. Evidence here), and team organization (count how many times I say “whiteboard” and “Evernote“).

Stuff White People Like #129

ken — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:22:14 +0000

One of my favorite satire blogs of the past two years is Stuff White People Like. It’s insightful, cleverly written, and downright fun; especially as evidenced in this recent post on why white people like Banksy. If you’re a design snob you’ll get it and appreciate it.

“…art does not work the same way as Indie Music when it comes to the need to like the obscure.”

Make the Most of Office Coffee

ken — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:00:50 +0000

Fortunately I work at the best place on earth and they invest in quality coffee for us caffeine addicts, but if you’re not so fortunate you can survive the office cup of coffee. This article has some great tips on how to brew decent coffee from the stock office setup.

I could have used this years ago when I was an engineering intern. I frequently referred to our office brew as “barbecue water,” as it’s color and strangely hickory undertone (could that be plastic residue) favored a watered down sauce.

Ron’s Evernote Tips

ken — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:29:08 +0000

Evernote users (and if you’re not, just search “evernote” at the avclub and let me convince you), let me direct you to Ron’s Evernote Tips, a veritable plethora of uses for Evernote you probably haven’t thought of yet… but Ron has.

Dirt Conference remix contest

ken — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:44:27 +0000

The following is an official posting. The Dirt Conference is holding a video remix contest with some pretty sweet prizes. Read the official post here.

– OFFICIAL COPY BELOW –
Just to refresh your memory, the contest will be run as follows:

1. We will give away a pair of tickets to whoever makes the best dirt mashup video of their own.
2. They can download raw video footage of each person we interviewed.
3. That includes Dino Rizzo, Greg Surratt, John Seibling, Kellen Coldiron, Daniel Gonzales, Kristen Becnel, Randy Bezet, Joe Champion, Stovall Weems and a whole lot more.
4. Post their own video on vimeo and their blog…and also give us a link and we’ll judge all the videos and give away tickets the last week of September.
5. They can use whatever effects or music they want.

The contest starts today and will end on October 1.

The files for the contest can be found here:

(Sample footage (4.7 MB))

Remix Kit (140.9 MB)

Bashnia Tatlina Tower Bawher

ken — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:00:39 +0000

I don’t know the history behind this piece, but I understand it to be Russian. I love the fact that it’s just… so… unique. It’s not 3D. There’s no techno music. It almost feels hand made. But somehow it has a frantic pace that conveys so much emotion. And a beautiful color palette that evokes nostalgia. This might be my favorite mograph piece of the week.

Street art with masking tape

ken — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:00:33 +0000

Now this looks like a good way to have some feels-kinda-dangerous-but-really-is-benign fun, making street art with masking tape.

[photopress:buff_diss_alley_fishing.jpg,thumb,pp_image]

Könecke Advent Sausage

ken — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:00:03 +0000

This year for the holidays I want to take my family through this, the Könecke Advent Sausage.