brett crockett

I've Moved. Finally.

2008-10-09T01:30:00.001-07:00

We've been using a custom WordPress install over at www.itscrockettscience.com for a little over a year now, and I finally got around to switching this blog to WordPress as well.

So- if you just can't live without my infrequent updates and incoherent rambling, you can now follow all the inaction over at www.bcrockett.com/blog

Occupational Hazard

2008-09-01T22:11:00.003-07:00

Standups: why I'm glad I switched my major from broadcast journalism early in my college career.

If you want to get the full effect, you've got to see the closing shot of this piece where the camera pans across the scene with John Hollenhorst reporting from the trenches in true textbook fashion. It's funny enough to make me update my blog after a month and a half of inactivity.

Competitive Advertising

2008-07-11T08:30:00.003-07:00

click for full-size image

In light of Apple/AT&T's apparent fumbling of today's 3G iPhone launch, this is great ad placement by Blackberry. Not as good as the Apple ads on CNet for Vista's launch (see here for one of the many), but still quite good.

Hello Shreveport!

2008-06-17T00:00:00.004-07:00

Five or six years ago I bought a toll-free number that I use for some business. The number I picked turned out to be very close to another toll-free customer service line, and on an average day I get three or four calls from people who keyed in the wrong number.

The calls usually come from the South and are more of a nuisance than anything, the phone company charges me every time it happens.

At first, I had fun with them—mostly people calling to check the balance on their gift cards (as you'll hear later). I'd ask for the card number, wait a few seconds, and then tell them they had $1,750.00 or whatever on the card.

They'd be like--

"Are you serious!?! I thought maybe there was 20 bucks on there, but $1,750!?! Are you sure?"

"Yes ma'am, that's what I show here."

"REALLY?!? That can't be right, could it?"

"That's the balance on the account. I can't add money to your balance but I can make deductions—would you like me to go ahead and change it for you in the system? Did you say $20?"

"No, no, no! Don't do that—it's ok."

Then, because I'd feel bad if someone went out and spent a couple hundred bucks on a meal they thought they wouldn't have to pay for, I'd ask them to read me the card number one more time, and then tell them it looked like I was mistaken on the first time around.

It was fun for a while. But soon the novelty wore off (or my conscience got the best of me) and I've thought a few times about having the number changed. Thought I'd save a little money and some hassle (the worst are the calls at 6AM on a Saturday).

Every now and then though, I'll get a great voicemail and figure it's worth it to keep the number a bit longer. I got this message the other day when I returned from vacation. There are some seriously awesome lines in it. The lady's trying to call about a TGI Friday's gift card, and it took me about 4 listens to figure out what it was she was saying about Friday...might take you the same.

"Friday...after Friday, next Friday...and uh...TGY It's Friday, I mean."

Anyway, I opened it up in Audacity to edit out the callback number she leaves before posting it...but as I got ready to, realized that what she left wasn't even a complete phone number. Enjoy the Southern charm. Listen here.

Taxes and a "Political Brownout"

2008-05-01T07:00:00.005-07:00

I got an email from my brother this morning with a link to this article about how Warren Buffet doesn’t feel like he’s paying his fair share of taxes. It’s a valid point considering his secretary pays a greater percentage of her income to the IRS than Mr. Buffet does. I found the article interesting, but it also bugged me a little. Something I’ve been thinking about a lot since doing my taxes this year and (although expecting a chunky return after getting married last year) found out I owed the IRS more money than I’d already shelled out.

Being taxed at 16% (like Warren Buffet) means that you will work around 40 full days out of the year just to pay income taxes. Compare that to the average person’s "Tax Freedom Day" of 4 months, and 40 days actually starts to sound about right.

I’m not a bitter person who expects rich people to pay more taxes. Instead of asking for others to pay more, I just expect the poor to pay less.

Why would I expect anyone to work four months for the government (unless you actually work for the government, and not just to fund the government)? And that’s only talking about income taxes. If you only pay attention to your 1040, you’re missing a huge part of the tax picture.

Don’t forget we get taxed when:
1- We make our money
2- We buy something with our money
3- We keep the property we bought
4- We sell the property we bought
5- And in several other areas we probably don’t understand because of a tax code that is 16,845 pages long

It’s easy for rich people to say "Hey- I'm not getting taxed enough!" and get attention. But if they really want to pay more taxes, I don’t know of anyone out there stopping them. They can tell their accountants to stop finding all those deductions that they pay them big money to find. They can increase the wages they pay their employees. And they can increase the benefits they afford their employees (like company health care), just to name a few. If doing all that still doesn’t ease their conscience (or their need for attention), they can make a voluntary donation to the Treasury to help decrease the national debt—it IS allowed, after all.

If you want to hear some real reason on the subject, check out Thomas L. Friedman’s article in the NYTimes about Hillary and McCains pipe dream of a summer tax break on gas.

"The McCain-Clinton proposal is a reminder to me that the biggest energy crisis we have in our country today is the energy to be serious — the energy to do big things in a sustained, focused and intelligent way. We are in the midst of a national political brownout."

And if you want to read about a politician who sees things for what they really are, check out this short Wall Street Journal article on The Tax Me More Act.

"It's a great injustice that citizens wishing to fulfill their dream of paying more taxes cannot simply check a box on their 1040 form to make a donation..."

Oh- and what about that economic stimulus check set to arrive any day? Not only is it too little, too late—it's a joke. "Here's $600 if you'll pretend with us that everything is OK. Pretend like you actually have $600 to spend. And while you're at it, pretend that it's going to make a drop of difference in the cesspool that is our current political and economic situation."

Like Friedman said- "It is great to see that we finally have some national unity on[...]policy. Unfortunately, the unifying idea is so ridiculous, so unworthy of the people aspiring to lead our nation, it takes your breath away."

Why don’t I want the government to raise taxes on the rich? Because one day I expect to be "rich"- and when I am, I’d rather give my money to individuals to use—not a government to squander.

By the way- if you need actual good ideas on how to use your stimulus check (assuming you'll be getting one), check here. You'll notice a new flat screen TV didn't make the list.

Clinging to my Bitterness

2008-04-21T01:04:00.002-07:00

Springfield Armory XD-9 4" Service Model, Bi-Tone

The Crossroads of the West gun show was on Saturday right next to the Scrapbook convention. It was pretty amusing to see dudes with dirty white beards and AK-47s holding the door open for middle-aged women as they scooted their wheeled tote bags through the doors of the South Towne Expo Center.

The gun show was a lot more hodgepodge than I expected. There were Native American selling pelts next to guys with throwing knives and Chinese stars (the kind you throw, not the kind that act in movies). And nearly nobody at the show looked like an established business (unless you call a vinyl banner with clip art of a couple guns and a name like "Harry's Guns & Ammo" sprawled across it "an established business").

The best part was everyone's sales pitch. I wanted to take a picture, but they didn't allow cameras in (guns were ok) and I didn't want to tick off the NRA who was set up near the best sign there. The headline: "The Gun Banners are Back!" underneath a picture of Hilary and Obama. Dudes peddling sniper rifles had pictures cut out of newspapers showing Obama next to whats-his-name-the-pastor that they'd taped to their tables. Seemed a little overboard to me. I mean, people are here to buy guns, right? Does telling them you hate democrats make them buy more?

Anyhow, the way I saw it, rather than buy a greasy manhandled pistol from a guy sandwiched between a candle company and the hot dog stand, why not go with the reputable dealer?

So Whittney, Adam, and I went to Cabela's where they matched the price of a shop in Salt Lake and threw in a bunch of extras. Plus we got to see the fish tank and a polar bear while we were at it.

When I told my mom, she said she felt like she was having a heart attack. And then called me today to make sure I was still ok. When I told her I was, "Well that's only because you don't have any bullets for it yet," was her response.

So, here she is—the incarnation of my "bitterness." Whittney asked me what I was going to name it. I hadn't thought about a name, but Albert seems to fit, I don't know- I'm open to suggestions.

With the tactical light attachment (no light, but you can imagine)

Never look down the barrel of a gun.
More photos on myFlickr

Vincent "Fou-Roux" Van Gogh

2008-03-16T19:30:00.016-07:00

Fou-Roux, Van Gogh's nickname—means "carzy redhed," and that he was (although it seems a harsh label for someone so talented). Whether you believe he cut off his own ear or you think Gauguin actually did it, there's no dispute that he wasn't all right in the head, especially in his later years. But there's no disputing either, that he was (or rather his paintings were) one of the greatest things to ever come out of France.

Everyone's probably familiar with Starry Night, Café Terrace, and the Vase with Twelve Sunflowers. What follows are some of my favorites that don't always get as much attention as those others, but that I think are equally as intriguing. Click any image for the high-res version.

Flowering Plum Tree (after Hiroshige)

Autumn Landscape - makes me want to go camping.

Avenue of Poplars in Autumn - Makes me wonder what a poplar is.

Evening Landscape with Rising Moon - Thought that was the sun coming over the mountain...

Landscape with Couple Walking and a Crescent Moon - Love that moon.

Starry Night Over The Rhone - The other Starry Night

Vincent's Home in Arles (The Yellow House)

The Church at Auvers - I saw this one at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

Skull With Burning Cigarette - Not sure if this one has more the feeling of "I'll smoke to my grave" or "Smoking will put you in your grave."

Vase with Lilacs, Daisies and Anemones - A great alternative to the popular Vase with Twelve Sunflowers.

Wheat Field Under a Clouded Sky - You need to see it large.

Wheat Field with Crows - Although not his last, one of his final paintings before he died. Also see this one large.

Newspaper account of his cutting off of his ear. Some disagree over who actually cut it off, but it seems everyone agrees that he took it to a brothel down the street and gave it to his girlfriend. The clipping roughly translated in part:

Last Sunday, at eleven-thirty in the evening, the named Vincent Vangogh [sic], painter, originally from Holland, presented himself at "the maison de tolerance no. 1, asked for someone named Rachel, and gave to her...his ear, telling her to 'keep this object carefully'. And then he disappeared...

Newspaper clipping announcing Van Gogh's death. Roughly translated:

Sunday July 27th, Van Gogh, age 37, a Duchman, painting artist, living in Auvers, shot himself with a revolver in the field and only being injured, he returned to his room where he died two days later."

A Long Overdue Thank You

2008-03-10T21:46:00.005-07:00

In a few days, I'll come back to that whole favorite artist thing I started a couple of weeks back. Getting out the scanner is proving to be more of a pain than I'd anticipated. So in the meantime...

I remember...oh...twenty or so years ago when I lived in Pleasant Grove the first time, my parents talking about how the city was home the worst roads in the country. Mom, Dad- they haven't changed much over the past two decades.

Morning after morning, Whittney and I pass the same sight on our way to work. This week, I wrote a letter to the city as follows:

Dear City of Pleasant Grove,

I'm writing to thank you for the commendable addition to our city's enlightenment and aestheticism at the intersection of State and 2000 West.

At first, I ignorantly assumed the orange barrels, cement barriers, and motionless tractor in the middle of the left-turn lane were simply the usual road construction gimmicks we see so often throughout our Great State.

Then, after 5 punishing weeks of inactivity at the site, I realized it wasn't actual construction—but rather a fitting addition to, and reflection of, our storied Utah County culture.

A standing tribute, a timeless monument, testament to the ever stationary nature of our progress—and tireless, yet unaltered state of the endless road construction we offer to friend, foe, and all who this way pass.

And so, in light of this important realization, I apologize for my belated action and offer my sincerest thanks for this beautiful work of art that promises a glimpse into our dusty past, present, and future for the untold generations that will follow.

Please use the enclosed $5 in your efforts to preserve this important token of who we are as a people and as a community.

Yours Truly,
Brett

Special thanks to WhittneyLynn, Editor.

Guess Who?

2008-02-25T20:30:00.010-07:00

A couple of years ago, I had a conversation with someone who told me that my faovurite artist was cliché. Not that the artist himself was cliché, but that picking him as a favourite was cliché. Whatever.

In the coming day's I'll be posting scans of some of my favourite pieces by this well-known artist. And while the artist is well known, hopefully the pieces I post will be ones you're not familiar with yet.

In the following posts, you'll have no problem in identifying the painter, but for now, can you tell who the artist is by this piece?

Know a Mac user?

2008-02-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Interesting findings from a research project by Mindset Media came out in Advertising Age's Jan 28th issue that I thought I'd ~~plagiarize~~ share here. I've hand-picked the good stuff from a study by Mindset of 7,500 Nielsen online consumers. They found the following characteristics typical of Mac owners:

They are more assured of their superiority
Less modest
More open
More likely to buy organic
Drink Starbucks or coffehouse coffee every day
Drive a hybrid

And here's where it gets good. Mac users:

Notice imperfections in things and stress over them more than average
Are more likely to have purchased five or more pairs of shoes in the past year
Use teeth whitening strips
Drive station wagons as their main car
May be seen as self-centered, arrogant or conceited by others and have a strong desire for recognition
They listen to way more music than PC owners. Half of mac owners paid to download music in the 3rd quarter of 2007 compared to only 16% of PC owners

So what did the study show about PC users?
Apparently not much. PC users showed far less cohesiveness in traits (probably because with PC market share at 95%, they are actually the "average" computer user), but they did stand out in an area of creativity: Low Creativity. Mindset media found them to be "realists who are emotionally steady and work well with what they are given."

For the record, I own a PC.

-info picked from Jan 28, 2008 Ad Age "Mac Owners Just Like, Well, The Mac Guy"

Firesafe but Secure?

2008-01-07T23:00:00.000-07:00

After a couple of kitchen mishaps (but only minor smoke damage), I realized the fire alarms didn't seem to be working. I still haven't given them the good old manual test but I figure if real smoke doesn't trigger them, there's not a good chance that I'll have time to manually set them off during an actual fire anyway. I did decide it was time for a little added security, though.

So a couple of days ago the Mrs. and I bought a safe to store our valuable collection of Garbage Pail Kids.

The safe has been great so far, but then again, we haven't had many people try to break into it. The other good news is there have been no additional fires in the house (at least that I'm aware of).

But—I did notice a disconcerting image on the box the safe came in (see above). It seems that while the safe will do a good job standing up to fire, it has a tough time standing up to a fireman with a walkie-talkie. Apparently firefighters have no problem taking a break from battling the fire currently consuming your house (and pets) to crack open your safe and take a look inside. I know they say it's a "Dramatization", but...doesn't seem like good marketing to me. I'd put a picture of the safe with a dead burglar next to it. And his eyebrows would be on fire or something.

Sentry must be a pretty funny company to work for though. If you took time to click the link to the product page for the safe, make sure you check out the product picture. Apparently this particular model is also good for storing those small golden boots you've been saving for retirement.

The 2007 Simplified Recap

2008-01-01T16:29:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the new year. After recovering from a "Top Ten _______ of 2007 List" overload, i decided I'd simplify things by creating just one Top 10 and one Bottom 10 for all of everything last year.

Top 10 (no particular order)
1- Being married to an awesome chick
2- Ohio
3- Bermuda
4- Steak
5- Royal Caribbean
6- Move Networks
7- Guitar Hero
8- Some snow, finally
9- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
10- ...still trying to decide if any good music came out...

Honorable Mention: This piece of viral advertising by Quicksilver: http://tinyurl/366pjd

Bottom 10 (also in no particular order)
1- Jamaica
2- Provo
3- The word "pundit"
2- The pipe-dream of bipartisanship
3- Dudes driving cars into my parked trailer
4- Tattle-telling the landlord
5- Paragon Press
6- R&B
7- Putting the "free" in freelance
8- Fruit
9- The amount people think they can get for a dumpy house on a dumpy lot
10- Uninsured drivers

Honorable Mention: People who walk around wearing a bluetooth headset.

Whopper Freakout

2007-12-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

Crispin Porter does it again. Normally I don't embed videos, but this was such an original idea for "viral" marketing, I had to post it. It's not so much funny as it is interesting—I love watching people's reactions when they're told their favorite grease bomb is no longer on the menu.

Hope you enjoy it. You can watch it full screen by visiting www.whopperfreakout.com.

2007-11-20T16:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Holidays

2007-11-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

I was working on an invite for our company holiday party a few days ago. Since we're a tech company (ok- officially we're a services company, but we can argue about that later), I figured some screen fonts and pixel art would do the trick.

I was wrong. It didn't turn out near as awesome on paper as it was in my head so I've sort of scrapped the idea. But in the meantime if you want to use my pixel art icons for your holiday cards, feel free. You can download them here. The file is in EPS format (so you'll need Illustrator or other vector drawing program) and includes a snowflake, menorah, new year's calendar, a present, and a Christmas tree.

*I know my menorah only has 5 branches but my Christmas tree only has 6—so i figure it's a fair trade. And since 5 branches make it non-specific, you could also use it as a kinara for those of you who like to celebrate Kwanzaa.

Grab Bag

2007-10-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Things have been pretty busy lately with work, a bit of freelancing and the holidays (Ramadan and Halloween). We're moving this weekend and next, and then we have November next month, so things don't look like they're going to slow down for a while. I figured I'd take some time while I've got it to post a few things I've worked on in the last while. I didn't really get permission to post any of them, so I did a little cropping to keep it semi-anonymous. Descriptions follow...

Got another couple of weeks to go on this one.

Logo redesign for a pretty sweet software product. If you're in public utilities (aren't we all?), let me know and I'll send you their way. My part in the project was more to give it a jump-start, then their in-house marketing (or "JJ") took the ball and did some pretty sweet stuff.

Measuring the future of online video. Actually did this a few months ago, but it's just being implemented. On second thought, decided against posting the screenshot. If you squint really hard, this is what it would look like.

The little lady and I decided to start a sort of family blog a few weeks ago and kicked it into high gear once we found out everyone else already had one. I used WordPress for the first time, so it's been a fun project—but we're still waiting for Whittney to add the content.

What's that you say? The design is a little juvenile? Probably true, but it's different than anything I've done before (especially illustration-wise) and I had a blast doing it. No pun intended. We'll see where it goes from here. If i could just get someone to nag Whittney...

You know those times when you really, really, really wish you could make the decision for the client?

October Conference

2007-10-08T01:00:00.000-07:00

General Conference was great this year, as always. If you're not a Mormon, you should think about becoming one- even for the semi-annual General Conference alone.

I watched some of it online where I had the benefit of screenshots. I debated whether or not I should post the shot above because I didn't want it to look like I was making fun of anyone. I decided to go ahead with it because I'm serious about the picture and really wanted to share it. I love this man's glasses, and his talk was one of my favorites- he seems like one of the coolest most genuine guys ever. It's amazing what these people go through and the attitude they have through it. They make incredible examples- the kind the world could use more of.

On another note, my mom IM'd me afterwards. Here's part of the transcript:

Leslie: Did you enjoy Julie Beck's talk this morning?

Me: You know, I actually don't remember her.

Leslie: she was the one who spoke about not putting off having a family :)

Me: Hahaha. Yeah, I remember it- I said to Whittney "You know my mom is loving this right now."

Leslie: yeah - kate said the same thing to justin ;)

She wants grandkids. She might have to settle for a dog first.

Anyway, Paul suggested that next conference we make graphics like that for each speaker live- sort of like Emmys for general conference, so be sure to keep an eye out in about 6 months for those.

Also from Paul: he snagged this screengrab of Jeremy at R7 (who I hear is working on a site redesign) singing in the MoTab this morning. I knew he was down with music like Oakenfold, Rush, and the Smiths, but I didn't know he sang the Hymns, too. Such a small world.

And such a great wardrobe standing next to him.

Making Great Voicemail Accessible

2007-10-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

This isn't really going to be a post about accessibility although I do love being able to check my voice mail from my email or online, forward it to other people, and record a unique personal greeting for every contact in my phone. But the best part is that I can download and edit, and even post a link so that anyone can hear a specific message. So from now on, when I get a good one, all I have to do is post the link in my del.icio.us links. Here are a couple of my favorites from the last few days:

» A guy leaves a message after he slams into my trailer in broad daylight. Click here to listen.

» Grant Nielsen calls me "music man." Click here to listen.

Babies and stuff

2007-09-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

I got a new nephew today. I don't know what his name is yet, but I'm assuming it will be something like "Brett."

Bermuda is pretty nice.

2007-09-18T23:50:00.000-07:00

I finally had some time tonight to upload a few of our Bermuda photos to Flickr. We're down a camera so Danielle let us borrow hers for the trip. I couldn't get the levels quite right, but it was still a challenge to take a bad picture of the place. And after ten days in paradise, Bermuda jumped to #2 on my top five places to retire.

See the photos here.

A new favorite blog

2007-09-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

I was just going to post this as a link in my del.icio.us, but decided it needed a little more attention than that.

Yesterday, a man shot at his wife with a handgun, then took off in an ultralight aircraft (basically a powered hang-glider) which later crashed in American Fork. The pilot died either from self-inflicted gunshots before the crash, or on impact...still not sure which.

I'd been following the news, including the SWAT team's search for the man between Eagle Mountain and American Fork, and though it sounded an awful lot like Dell Schanze AKA "Super Dell" who was in the news a day earlier, back up to his ultralight antics over the Great Salt Lake.

Fortunately this latest story didn't include Super Dell, But in my search for information I came across his blog. Wow. Pure entertainment, folks. Anyone who refers to KSL as "the terrorist network" is worth lending an ear to.

Check it out here: dellschanze.blogspot.com.

Out of the office...

2007-08-31T16:30:00.000-07:00

We'll be in Bermuda for the next ten days and then we might come back.

Responsible Thievery

2007-08-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

LAS VEGAS-- On August 8th, thieves broke into the car of John Cory, lead singer for Twenty Mule Team. Stealing everything inside, the thieves also added insult to injury as they, for no apparent reason, cut the throttle cable inside the car.

Their booty consisted of:

An iPod Nano

8 cds checked out from the library

1 DVD rented from Blockbuster

A backpack containing all of his financial info

His scriptures

The brass elephant pictured on the cover of their debut album (see pic above)

and a box containing wedding announcements that had been stamped and addressed.

So why would I call this "responsible thievery?"

I've often thought about people who steal cameras. The least they could do is to either roll the film or pop out the SD card, right? I mean...spend an extra few seconds--you're getting a free camera out of the deal. Now take text books for example. Really? You're going to steal a text book? That would make you the geekiest thief on the block...but at least leave the homework/notes crammed inside. And scriptures? It's not like you're going to read them. To leave those things behind would be responsible (if not honorable) thievery.

In John's case, the thieves dropped his wedding announcements in the mail, and I received my announcement 2 days later. It's a modern miracle, or what might classify as the kind of responsible thievery a better world might hope for.

Seriously though, those guys are still punks. Help John out, buy his album: Ned Tender from DigStation or sporadically on iTunes. It's well worth the money, and if you get a chance to see them live, bring a camera.

You down with OOP?

2007-08-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

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AS3 is my first real foray into OOP. My favorite thing so far: no more placing code on an object--keeping it all together is going to rock. I think.

PS- Thanks to PMayne for the hit area help.

The Wild West

2007-08-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

I had a dream last night I was skiing. It was a little rocky, but it was enough to get me to snag a pair of goggles off steepandcheap when i woke up. And while I'm on the kick, I figure I might as well throw up these spec ads I did for Jackson Hole a while back.

Swiss Design

2007-08-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

I was going through some of my older photos and came across this one of my old Swiss visa. I love the design (especially compared to the EU visa) with all the irregular shapes and die cutting. And this detail is great:

Creativity For Sale

2007-07-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, so you actually have to supply your own creativity, but CS3 is the next best thing. Brand new, in box, never been opened, original, full version of Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium - Windows Edition. Bonus video tutorial disc included. Not an education copy, this is the legal real deal. I bought it before getting a job that had it for me. If you're interested, send an email to [bcrockett at powerplay-dj.com]. If you're not, maybe I can interest you in some scratch paper?

Easy on the Eyes: A Quick Case Study

2007-07-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

A great illustration here of the difference between average design and the kind of design that made me want to become a designer (and i didn't design either of them).

Just a quick point. Utah.com used to be a pretty decent website, design speaking. About a year ago, when Utah introduced their new "Life Elevated" campaign, Utah.com did a site redesign. Actually, I think of it more as a de-design. They messed it up. Really-see above. You'll have to trust me that the old one was a bit better.

On the other hand, i came across Utah.travel tonight. Which would you rather explore? And when it all comes down to it, if tourism is doing it's job--shouldn't it make you want to explore?

Well, every good story needs a sad ending (like the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when Harry...nevermind. I don't want to spoil it for you).

So here's the catch: Utah.travel, at this point, is basically an elaborate landing page to Utah.com. Most of the navigation on .travel takes you to pages on .com leaving the user feeling a little ripped off. To ease the pain, click on "View pictures of Utah" or "Watch the Videos" and rest easy in the hopes that eventually the whole site will be converted to the new design.

Or just visit Colorado instead.

That was a joke. In the late 1840's, Utah actually fought Colorado. And Utah won (obviously).

How my brother Jake upgrades the RAM on his Mac Mini:

2007-07-01T22:26:00.000-07:00

eBay: Den of Thieves

2007-06-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the title is a little harsh. I really do love the site. In fact, it's not actually eBay that's the culprit here- it's some of their users.

A couple of months ago, Whittney got a job as an account manager working with eBay's Top Sellers. I hadn't used eBay for years, but all the talk of online auctions and fortunes-to-be finally got me, and I decided to go back.

I've had my eyes (not sure why people normally use the singular 'eye' in that situation) on a pair of headphones. Since we're all in basically the same room at Move, it's nice to have a good pair of earmuffs when you want to crank Stevie Nicks, but you don't want everyone else to know you listen to the coolest music in the world.

So I found them on eBay. For only $75 plus $30 shipping. That's a pretty discount, and they had it at a "buy it now" price, so I didn't have to play the auction game.

A couple hours later, I got an email from eBay telling me:

"We removed this item from the Site and cancelled your bid because it appears that the seller's account has been compromised and used by an unauthorized third party.

Stop payment with your bank if you paid by check.

Contact the Security Department of your credit card company to file a chargeback if you paid via credit card.

If you paid via Western Union or MoneyGram, contact the company directly.

If you paid with PayPal, eligible transactions will... etc."

Despite the email, I wasn't too worried. The eBay could be wrong, I thought. Since Whittney works there, she checked it out for me. Trust and Safety department was looking into the seller because of a variety of factors including an account that hadn't been used in a while and a conflicting IP address. Actually, she gave me all sorts of information they'd already pulled together. Apparently there are all sorts of behind-the-scenes algorithms that constantly monitor all the activity on the site and end up preventing a lot of what would otherwise be scams.

Anyway, I had a tracking number showing that my headphones were on their way from Japan, so I wasn't worried. A few days later, there was a package slip in our mailbox- my headphones had finally arrived!

When I saw the package, I knew it wasn't what I'd ordered. In fact, it turned out to be a $105 block of styrofoam wrapped in yellow packing tape. But combined with my tracking number, it was enough to throw me off the scammer's trail for an extra week. eBay was right.

So a friend let me borrow his Bose Quiet Comfort 3 noise canceling headphones. They are amazing. Turn them on, and even without any music your surroundings become quieter. Throw in a little Kings of Convenience, and you'll feel like you're front and center at Red Rocks.

At the time I had them, I worked next to a server room, which I imagine to be similar to the noise of a jet engine. For the frequent air traveler, they would be the perfect fit. Blocks out engine noise and possibly the little kid screaming for more Sprite two rows behind you. (Note: In practice, the technology actually does a better job of knocking out repetitive hums and mechanical noises than a pesky toddler, but all noise is dampened to some extent.)

With just the cancellation turned on and no music playing, you get about the same feeling as a dose of nitrous oxide in the dentist's chair. It's the eerie feeling of sounds and voices floating just out of reach of your comprehension, but without the annoying vibrating in your skull often caused by the dentist's drill. They really are a great product.

Anyway, the good news is, I got all of my money back in about a week's time. And while I still don't have anything better than my iPod earbuds for the occasional Bette Middler jam session, at least I didn't come out in the hole. I can't say anything for the Pioneer HDJ-1000's that never came, but if you're in the market for a serious pair of high-end, consumer-grade headphones, I highly recommend the Bose. Just be careful if you find them for under $275 on eBay.

Oh- and on a marketing/advertising note- my buddy's Quiet Comfort 3's came with a stack of "pass-along" cards to give to friends who ask about the headphones. They store inside the custom case so that you'll have them with you wherever you travel. A great idea since everyone who tries a pair on will probably be wanting more information on the amazing technology. All you have to do is flip out the card, and turn up the Sade.

What is news? Really.

2007-06-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

I feel for you, Kelly. But you got more than the attention you deserved on the backs of a crazed populous obsessed by synthetic-reality television and American Idol. Your stunning announcement really isn't news. And certainly not front-page CNN news. Well ok, it is- but only because Murrow's Boys and respect for the profession have been forgotten.

Cleaning House

2007-05-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

I decided to make today a day for cleaning house. I planned on posting all the "draft" posts I've been saving up without publishing. But as I read over them- stuff about music in advertising ("Mad World" in the Gears of War trailer), the question of using corporate parentage to brand a product(Toyota positioning itself as built in America vs. Chrysler adopting Dr. Z as their German spokesman), and the Nintendo Wii being my first gaming system since the original NES...I decided a better way of cleaning house would be just to delete them. Done.

Since my last update, I started work at Move Networks. It's quite a bit different from the "agency life," but a good kind of different. It's a great company in one of the coolest industries out there. And, other than the pinball humiliation, it's been awesome working with pmayne again. Some big shoes to fill. Anyway, in a few weeks, I'll probably throw up some of the designs I've been working on for t-shirts and the website redesign. Some pretty cool projects.

Peace Out

2007-05-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

Said goodbye today after 2 good years at Richter7.

The Revolt

2007-05-01T23:00:00.000-07:00

I've never seen anything like what this is doing to Digg.

My favorite email I ever got

2007-04-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Advertisement >

Make sure that your website is the best that it can be. Having a web site design catalog at your fingertips can make all the difference in the world. With Edezines professional web design directory, your site will be the best it can be.

The New Hardware Horizon

2007-04-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

I just bought CS3 requiring a minimum of 1GB RAM. I also have two 19" LCD monitors that I want to start using, so I'm looking for a new computer. I've wanted to switch to a Mac for a while now, but their relatively small product line doesn't seem to have anything that fits my needs very well at this point. None of the laptops suport dual monitors- and I'll probably just continue using CS2 on my current laptop when I need portability anyway.

Mac Minis don't fit becasue of a lack of support for dual monitors-and weak processing power.

The iMacs don't make a whole lot of sense, since I'd be paying for a monitor I don't need, and don't really want.

Finally, there's the 8 Core Mac Pro. It would be great if I had $2,500 burning a hole in my pocket for the base model. I don't.

So, it looks like I'm back to considering another PC. Any suggestions?

The More You Know

2007-04-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

I discovered something amazing today. And given some time, I think libraries could change the world.

I know they've been around for a while now, I even went inside one in college when I was hiding from a guy trying to get me to sell security systems in Chicago (it's one of the best markets available). But I didn't really know what they were all about.

I needed to get a book. The problem was that Whittney and I are on the sort of budget that doesn't allow for spending money. On anything. So it was either steal a book from Barnes & Gnoble or try the library. Stealing is on my list of things to try not to do along with running red lights and...basically running at all. So with nowhere left to turn, I broke down and went to the library.

In short, I was amazed. First, the xeriscaping and archetecture of our branch is pretty impressive. The you get inside and there are tons of books. But not just books- there's internet, magazines, newspapers, art, and even DVDs and CDs. The best part? They're all free. And instead of having a librarian check them out for you, you set them on a pad, insert your card, and the books/cds/dvds you're renting instantly show up on a touch screen monitor and out prints a receipt. Amazing.

So why go to Blockbuster? Why go to Greywhale? Why go anywhere other than from your couch to the library and back?

I never learned to use the Dewey Decimel System, so I couldn't find the book I needed- but how about this for progress? Yesterday I thought the internet would kill libraries off. Today, I'm a card-carrying member sitting at home with 3 free DVDs.

Bootstrapping to Save Internet Radio

2007-04-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

We all know and love Pandora. Just a couple of things I wanted to say.

First- the banner above was created by someone at the group SaveNetRadio.org. It's pretty bad. All of them are- but this one in particular. First, the concept is bad...or maybe i'm just thick. Are they trying to say "Don't let your radio turn into a piece of bread?" Or maybe they meant toast? I don't know-but if our radios really did turn into a piece of bread, can you imagine what sort of sound it would make? I can't decide if it would be a gooey sort of sound, of maybe something more like a little kid jumping into a bunch of pillows and blankets...

Anyway, secondly-it looks like instead of paying for the that bread photo, they did a little photoshopping to take out the iStockPhoto watermark. Notice the diagonal white lines near the bottom... But maybe it's a good idea- it shows the extent to which they're financially strapped.

In any case, it's a worthy cause. Quoting an email from the founder of Pandora, Tim Westergren:

I'm writing today to ask for your help. The survival of Pandora and all of Internet radio is in jeopardy because of a recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board in Washington, DC to almost triple the licensing fees for Internet radio sites like Pandora. The new royalty rates are irrationally high, more than four times what satellite radio pays, and broadcast radio doesn't pay these at all. Left unchanged, these new royalties will kill every Internet radio site, including Pandora.

In response to these new and unfair fees, we have formed the SaveNetRadio Coalition, a group that includes listeners, artists, labels and webcasters. I hope that you will consider joining us.

To sign the petition (I hear online petitions are worthless...but worth a try), go to savenetradio.org

Portfoli'07

2007-04-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

I haven't imported all the ads yet, but my new portfolio is up with a few of them.

2007 Portfolio

2007-04-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

Star Wars Kid Learns to Dance

2007-04-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

I probably won't give the synopsis of the commercial until I post the actual thing, but the shoot over the weekend went great. Jared and Jacob (the director and producer), and their whole crew did an awesome job. It was great to see the thing go from the concept all the way to production, and so far things seem to have turned out even better than expected. It was about a 13 hour shoot, but we should have a pretty nice 24 and 60 second spot to show for it. The final should be out of post production within a couple of weeks and I'll post it then.

In the meantime, this is probably the coolest proudcer on the planet, Jacob Moffat, in the best improv show of talent that film has ever seen. Had the concept been a little different, this could have been the entire commercial. It is, as he put it, like the Star Wars Kid grew up and learned to dance.

Your Big Chance

2007-03-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

If you've ever wanted to be in the coolest TV commercial ever, now's your chance.

If you can dance even just a little:

Hip-hop or break
or
Disco
or
Whatever dance they danced in the 40s-50s
or
Swing

We want you. And we'll feed you handsomely. Plus, you'll get to work on a real set. The director might even yell at you (ok, he probably won't, but if you want- I will). We need you Friday March 30th and/or Saturday March 31st. If you're interested, please email me at brett [at] bcrockett [dot] com.

Looking for a Change of Venue

2007-03-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

So I'm on the job hunt again and the job descriptions I've seen so far have been awesomeme. Requirements for a graphic designer position in SLC:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear.

The employee must exert up to 20 lbs of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 lbs. of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Sounds like a dream job.

Photographic Evidence

2007-03-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;

These are photos taken by friends and family. Thanks to Gary, Jake, Valerie, and others who took 'em.

Click on any one of the three galleries to see the pics. But you've gotta have the Flash player. If you don't, download it here.

After 2 Months...

2007-03-13T13:58:00.001-07:00

Photo by WhittneyLynn

Holy smokes. It's been two months since Whittney and I got married. It seems like it's been 2 days but at the same time it feels like it's been forever. In a good way.

We've moved into a cool little apartment in Draper, and are having the time of our lives. In fact, if you're planning on making a trip to the new Ikea, make a weekend of it and come stay with us. We have carpet for you to sleep on.

A few family and friends have been asking to see pictures, so I've put together a slideshow with pictures from our engagement, wedding, and honeymoon- you can see those pics by clicking here.

Anyway, a couple months ago when we returned from our honeymoon, I sat down to write about some of the things I'd learned. Something came up, though, and I never actually wrote anything. In the meantime, I've forgotten most of what I learned- but here's a quick attempt to recap what I do remember.

1- The "Island Lifestyle" you see portrayed in most movies and on tourism commercials from Jamacia is a myth. It's a fairy tale with maybe-maybe a toe in reality. The country's landscape and ocean is beautiful, but the living conditions are so 3rd world, I was shocked. We took a jeep safari though a decent chunk of the country, and were able to see what things were really like. The true island lifestyle seems to consist of sitting in the gutter surrounded by garbage with bare feet and a joint. Honestly, it was an eye-opener. The poverty is amazing, and quite obviously a result of the rampant drug trafficing. We swam in a jungle river, and stood under what some believe is a waterfall, and the jungle was beautiful. But the cities were actually shanty towns, and the people in the streets looked hopeless. Whittney and I agreed we were glad we went. It was an educational experience. But we both decided Jamacia was not a place we'd return.

2- A cruise is one of the best vacations there is. I was skeptical at first. I'd been to Europe and Belize, all over Utah and a good part of the United States, but never on a cruise. I figured they were for the old folks, and I preferred backpacking or road trips. After our first day on Royal Caribbean, I changed my mind. It was amazing. Let me just make a few points:

Free food

Free room service

You can have as many entrees as you want

You can eat as much steak as you want

You don't have to eat fruit or vegetables

You can have as many desserts as you want

You don't have to worry about finding a hotel

You don't have to worry about finding transportation

If you get an interior room, you can sleep for 24 hours without being awakened by the sun

You don't have to make your bed

You don't have to hang up your towel

You are your own boss

You'll see places you'd probably never see otherwise

The ship is so big, you probably won't see all of it

The ship is so big, you probably won't have time to do all the activities on it

Even though the ship is so big- you never feel crowded

It's the most relaxing vacation I've ever been on

Seriously, I'm sold. It was great.

3- And finally:
Marriage is way better than anyone ever said it would be.

Albert

2007-03-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong- I'm not against global warming. Or the internet. It's just that if this man decides to run for president, I hope he makes it more interesting than that Earth science video he made.

It was like paying to sit in a crowded gen ed course down at the community college. Again.

A Thought About Contests

2007-03-06T09:51:00.000-07:00

With the launch of the Tiki Wisdom Challenge this week, I thought I'd give an insider's peek at how good your odds sometimes are at winning stuff from various contests.

When I worked for KSL, i was regularly in charge of collecting entries for prizes at ReAl SL games, The Utah Symphony, Utah Auto Shows, and various other events along the Wasatch Front.

Due to people's fear of SPAM and junk mail, they're generally averse to entering any kind of contest that requires your age, email address, etc. There were times we would be giving away free cruises as on-air promotions, and only a couple hundred (if that) people would "dare" to enter the contest. That means the person that ended up winning that prize wasn't really that lucky- they just had great odds. Somewhere around 1 in 150, most of the time.

The best part, though, is what we did with all the entries that didn't make it. After we picked the winner out of the box, we kept that entry so that we could notify the winner of their prize. The rest of them went into the garbage can. Yup. All those names and email addresses went straight into the garbage can. Nobody sat down to a computer and entered the information, which means none of the people that entered the contest were ever bothered again! A horrible marketing practice-but it goes to show that the point of the promotion was promotion, not to gather a bunch of email addresses for spamming.

Working for an ad agency provides some back-up for for what I've just said. This same scenario happens all the time with local contests. Only a couple hundred people take the time to enter the contest, and as a result, the odds of winning are usually very, very good. Since most of our contests are online, we're not as bad with the email addresses as KSL- and they occasionally get used. If given permission, we might send out announcements about new games or contests- but never spam. In two years, I've never seen an email address taken from one contest and given to another client. In fact, I've never seen an email address taken and used for anything other than what the user had signed up for.

With the passing of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, agencies (ours, at least) are paranoid about compliance. The bill permits e-mail marketers to send unsolicited commercial e-mail as long as it contains all of the following:

- an opt-out mechanism;
- a valid subject line and header (routing) information;
- the legitimate physical address of the mailer; and
- a label if the content is adult.

The penalty for breaking the rules? Each violation is subject to fines of up to $11,000.

Now, we don't send unsolicited emails from our databases, but even more important- that opt-out link really works. For good reason people have been told to stay away from responding to, or clicking on any link in an unsolicited email. In our case, though- and likely the case of any reputable company- if you click that link, you'll be automatically be taken off the list. By law, if a user opts out, a sender has ten days to cease sending email.

So- that's the deal. Many of these local contests have great odds- and little potential to flood your inbox with spam. And if you do start getting emails you'd rather not, you're just one click away from stopping it. That's all.

So, want to win a trip to Hawaii? Want something to do at work instead of work? Play the Tiki Wisdom Challenge- it's a pretty fun game that gives you clues about your friend, and you have to guess who your friend is. If you're a horrible guesser, you can throw some spears at coconuts and still win an entry into the contest. And you can enter as many times as you want.

If you like the sound of the waves, or the thunder, or the swoosh of the spear through the air...I chose those. They're basically my only claim to fame on the game...but I can't complain, I got paid to do it. The rhyming in that last sentence was unintentional, I promise.

To play, visit www.tikiwisdom.com And good luck.

Surfing Without an Ocean

2007-02-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

First: I recommend muting your speakers before playing this video

I had nearly lost faith in "viral" videos, websites, etc.

Everything I saw felt forced, fake, and over baked. I was all viral'd out. But then, this video, courtesy of Brent B.

Global Warming

2007-02-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

Gotta love the Drudge Report. And their slanty headlines.

Saving the Planet

2007-02-11T00:30:00.000-07:00

Why do I ask for paper instead of plastic? I'd like to save the trees, but they're a renewable resource- petroleum isn't. On top of that, it takes a newspaper 3-4 months to decompose. A small plastic butter container? Around 30 years.

Anyway...here are some rough comps for a campaign for the Natural Resources Defense Council. The idea is to show that conservation affects all of us. I don't know how to save the whales, or what impact they'll have on me if they're gone- but I know if I help conserve forests, I'll have more space to camp.

For Studying Geography or Design

2007-02-01T00:15:00.000-07:00

The weekly download (for educational use only):
Jimmy Eat World | Globes and Maps

Preoccupation

2007-01-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

Things have been...busy lately. I've got more on the way, but here's something to hold you over, or as they say "pour boucher le trou."

The weekly download (for educational use only):
The Stills | Retour a Vega.

Pardon my French.

So, you need web design?

2007-01-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Why choose bcrockett for your next online project? Let's list a few good reasons:

Affordable
Fast
Good-looking (not me, your new website)

When it's time for you to improve your image, to keep up with technology and the world your business competes in- it's time to hire bcrockett. Call 801-824-5544 or email brett [at] bcrockett [dot] com to discuss how we can blow the socks off your competition.

Happy New Year

2006-12-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

Dave says posting a "Merry Christmas" image doesn't count as blogging. So I made a Happy New Year one. And- I had a dream a few days ago that I blogged...I figure between the two of those, something's gotta count as an update. Happy New Year.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-22T16:52:00.000-07:00

11X17 Poster Series

2006-12-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

Self promotion illustrating the capabilities of Frog Press: Litho, Flexo, Digital. The arrows on the flexo poster are die-cut.

Monday Night Lights

2006-12-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

Since Christmas is less than a week away now, I figured I'd better post a link to the best Christmas lights ever. Happy Holidays.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD8_7c36yfw

Frog Press Identity

2006-12-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Statistically Speaking

2006-12-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here're a few Goorin Brothers ads. Cool hats if you're into that sort of thing. The ads are still sort of a work in progress. The idea is to sell hats without saying the hat is going to make you smarter, richer, cooler, whatever. Even though- statistically speaking- they do.

Visit www.goorin.com to check out the hats.

Pipes, Wives, and Diamonds

2006-11-20T00:30:00.000-07:00

The ski resorts in Utah are opening up- most in time for Thanksgiving again this year. A few ads I did for Park City Chamber of Commerce (that's not papyrus, I promise):

Ken's Costume

2006-11-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

Ken was me for the company Halloween party. I'm pretty sure he was wearing a muscle shirt under there.

And that's my finance hugging him in the picture. Cute couple.

Marketing by Dilbert

2006-10-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Julie sent this to me a few months ago. Probably the best cartoon ever.

Brett C.ttf

2006-10-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, the coolest girl in the whole universe showed me www.fontifier.com. For $9 it takes your handwriting and turns it into a typeface. Mine is pretty accurate, but since I never write in lower-case, you'll have to hit your CAPS key for it to be realistic. On second thought, it still won't be realistic because I write in a hybrid CAPS-cursive-print melange known by the state of California to cause cancer in the retinas of lab rats. And I can't figure out how to get realistic ligatures...but anyway... If you want to download Brett-C.ttf, you can get it here. Just promise not to write anything about how much you love fruit or celery with it.

pmayne signs off

2006-10-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

After years of creating award-winning websites for Richter7, he left today for a position at Move Networks.

Good luck Paul- and don't forget to take that framed photo montage of Mazzotta with you wherever you go.

The Weekend

2006-10-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

HeartBloom

2006-10-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

This is my new favorite flash movie. Better than Homestar Runner and even better than...nevermind...the actual movie isn't very good (well, it's what you get with basically no drawing skills and 12fps), but I like the concept/story. Click Here to see it.

Child Killer

2006-10-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, I finished Freakonomics by Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner. The whole book is worth reading and answers questions like:

"What do schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers have in common?"
"How is the Ku Klux Klan like a group of real-estate agents?"
and "Why do drug dealers still live with their moms?"

I was particularily interested in a chapter near the end that explored whether a gun or a swimming pool is more dangerous. The following is an excerpt from the book, and below is the remainder of the PSA campaign I schemed to bring awareness to the issue. In fact, in a recent year, there were 175 children killed by guns compared to 745 drowned in pools.

"Consider the parents of an eight-year-old girl named, say, Molly. Her two best friends, Amy and Imani, each live nearby. Molly's parents know that Amy's parents keep a gun in their house, so they have forbidden Molly to play there. Instead, Molly spends a lot of time at Imani's house, which has a swimming pool in the backyard. Molly's parents feel good about having made such a smart choice to protect their daughter.

"But according to the data, their choice isn't smart at all. In a given year, there is one drowning of a child for every 11,000 residential pools in the United States. (In a country with 6 million pools, this means that roughly 550 children under the age of ten drown each year.) Meanwhile, there is 1 child killed by a gun for every 1 million-plus guns. (In a country with an estimated 200 million guns, this means that roughly 175 children under ten die each year from guns.) The likelihood of death by pool (1 in 11,000) versus death by gun (1 in 1 million-plus) isn't even close: Molly is roughly 100 times more likely to die in a swimming accident at Imani's house than in gunplay at Amy's."

Just Enough is More

2006-09-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

Thursday, Milton Glaser came to BYU in conjunction with the AIGA and BYU Department of Visual Arts. I went, but I didn't get as good a seat as Paul or as good pictures as Matt (I got there just in time for one of the last standing spots on the balcony). But I did take a few notes. His ideas on appreciating art and the impact of drawing on life and personal development were awesome. BYU normlly makes transcripts of these types of events available shortly thereafter. If they do, though, I'll be sure to post it. In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite quotes from the night:

"I think it's one of my articles of faith that I don't work with people I don't like."

"My instinct is to go as far as I can go before before people will say 'That guy's a fraud.'"

When Stephen Heller asked him about finding a niche or specializing in a certain area of design (books, web, whatever), Milton gave a great answer. In summing up his thoughts that people shouldn't necessarily limit themselves to any one area of design, he said:

"I always thought if people knew what you did, they'd have power over you."

and finally, in the open Q&A, someone asked what he thought was his greatest accomplishment.

"My greatest accomplishment? Longevity."
-Milton Glaser

Gaming Survey

2006-09-25T23:45:00.000-07:00

If you can spare a couple minutes, take this short survey [survey is now closed] about video gaming. If you do, Electronic Arts (better known as EA) will be happy, and you'll make my life a lot easier.

thanks.

Comm Arts

2006-09-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

So we're back to posting works in progress.

This is a mock-up of an idea I had for a Comm Arts ad for students. The deadline was 9AM and I'd expected to do it over the weekend... It turned out last week was one of the most eventful weeks of my life and I wasn't able to work on it. Midnight Sunday with no ideas and no time. Against my better judgment (considering I'm even less of a morning person than I am a body-builder), I decided to set the alarm for 4AM.

In the mental fog of an early morning all my ideas seemed brilliant-but as the sun came up, I became less sure. But when there's a deadline, I guess you do your best and leave the rest up to the toner cartridges. So, here's the pitch.

Basically, students get a killer price on subscriptions ($39/yr). My first thoughts were for self-depreciating lines such as "Sick of being bombarded with advertisements? Pay to see them again" and "At least Visual Arts students understand our picture books."

In the end I decided to go the safe route and just play with the price. There's really not much strategy behind it, and it certainally doesn't "have legs," but this is what turned up. The idea to use the cover of Comm Arts as the visual (and to show it was the magazine students would get for "free") came between giving up (going back to sleep) at 6, and waking back up at 7.

Moral of the story: I think better in my sleep.

Why Digg is a Puppet

2006-09-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

Apple announces a couple little things and instantly- hundreds of stories are submitted to Digg about the anouncements. And then there are stories about those stories, and then thousands of "users" who digg those stories. And then there are those of us who write about how ridiculous that the only news to read on Digg is about another update to iTunes (aren't they bi-weekly anyway?) or another update to the iPod (new model for every day of the week) or another update about how the new Apple OS is going to be so awesome that we're going to blog about how awesome it is.

Point is, no offense Dave, if you want to read about the new Apple announcements, go to www.macrumors.com, and keep Digg from becoming a never-ending repository of Apple press releases. They're easy enough to come by as it is.

Online Media, Anyone?

2006-09-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

The guys over at Crowell asked me to post this and I couldn't think of a good reason why not. They're located downtown in the Gateway, so if you're interested in a job in online media but you also want a cool office and quick access to the latest Bo Bice album (the Virgin Megastore is right downstairs), this might be the job for you. Best of all, it seems they understand that while otherwise somewhat useless, sparsely-visited blogs are still cool enough to post job openings. Contact Crowell with any questions at 531-0533.

To read the job description, go here.

Oh, and it's not online media, so it doesn't relate to the job posting, but here's some radio they did for Clear Bra. "Ricochet with a capital R and then a lowercase icochet." Nice. Very nice.

When September Comes

2006-08-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

As September comes, t-shirt and trousers are laid out next to Trapper Keeper and new white sneakers. I'm supposed to be ready for the magical morning when I'll become a student again. Somehow though, I can't help but feel I was supposed to be done with this a year ago.

It's a strange case of Spring fever when going to school feels right but being in school feels wrong. And it's not Spring.

In any case, I'll be there in a few days. Provo, Utah for another 9 months of the Junior Baccon Cheeseburger on odd and the Hot-and-Ready special on even days (and maybe some ramen somewhere in the middle to mix things up).

Anyway, when it started, this blog was mainly about advertising. Gradually, as I drifted to Hawaii and Wyoming and wherever else I drifted over the summer, the content drifted with me. Now that I'm drifting back toward the police state of Provo, I suppose the content will make its way back to advertising or over-zealous law enforcement.

With that, check out my favorite new Mac ad:

Astronomers Are Jerks

2006-08-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

Take the smallest planet we have and pick on him. Build him up to cut him down. Reminds me of middle school.

The Eve of Something...Long

2006-08-14T00:45:00.000-07:00

PROVO, UT--

September 5th, 2006 will find thousands of college students flooding into Provo, Utah's greatest city, to start another year of college education.

"It will be a great opportunity for us, as a department, to go back to what we do best- writing frivolous tickets to unsuspecting students, and breaking up harmless gatherings wherever we hear music," said Capitan Joel Brenson of the Provo Police Department.

"I'm excited because it's always a big morale booster for the guys when these kids come back and we have the opportunity to use our lights and sirens again. They're really pretty neat, you should see them when it's dark."

Not only does the return to school mean an exciting time for the Provo Police Department, but the booting companies also see an increase in activity and revenue.

"It's really great this time of year- we basically wait for students to show up to a parking lot and then we pounce. The best part is the money. It's a lot easier than going to college ourselves," said Matt Swenson, and employee at University Parking Unforcement." My boss gave me a bonus last year because I booted the most cars in a 3 hour period during one of the BYU football games. It was easy because there's really nowhere anyone can park within a 5 mile radius of the stadium...unless they happen to own a parking garage or something. I bought one of those new video iPods with the money."

As students breathe millions of dollars into the economy, local businesses breathe a sigh of relief.

Store owner Cathy Hinckam notes that "our grocery store couldn't survive without [the students], but my husband and I would never let them know that. After all- they do make our streets busier and it seems like every year their hair styles get crazier, their jeans have more holes, and they're basically making our lives hell for about 8 months... We did just add on to our house, though, business was pretty good last spring. So they're good for that. But not much else."

And finally, landlords across Utah County are gearing up their office staff to handle the checks flowing in from students in "BYU approved housing." Jean Drammup, manager of several apartment complexes near campus (including The Lodges at Glendale) is especially thankful for the influx of students each year.

"It's great. They basically have to live here- and they pay top dollar to do it. We charge about twice what you'd pay for a bare-bones apartment anywhere else in the state, but since we're BYU Approved, they're basically thanking us for the privilege. Of course, we do show our thanks to them as well- last year, we remodeled the outside of the buildings to make it look like the apartments inside were actually comfortable. In truth, they're the same as they were when we first built the place in 1972. Oh, and we give out free hotdogs and drinks once a year by the pool."

And so as Provo prepares to receive the students with open arms (and a bundle of citations, auto boots, and deposit slips), the students prepare for the warm welcome.

"What can I say?" asks Drew Gibson, a student from Seattle, WA. "We basically prepare by taking out student loans and getting [mentally] ready to take another one in the chops. All in the name of higher education. We'll pay a couple thousand on tuition, a few more thousand on housing, and a couple hundred on miscellaneous expenses like tickets, parking boots, and food. Then, they'll ask us for donations to build a new training center for the football team, and another donation to fund scholarships that will go to minorities. That's life in Provo. I'm not complaining though- they tell us it doesn't get any better than this."

How could it?

Bear Hunting

2006-07-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

I'll be in the Wind Rivers range for the next week.

Technically I'm not hunting bears, but I'll be looking for them. And if I find one I like, I'll be bringing it back with me.

I Heart Windows

2006-07-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

While working thismorning, my lappy started bogging down, so I decided to re-boot. It took nearly a half hour to save the document I was working on, and shut down iTunes. Then, I went to the Start menu to restart, and for over 5 minutes, nothing happened. At that point, I CTRL+ALT+DEL'd and still, nothing happened. Finally, I decided the only way to "fix" my problems would be to take out the battery and unplug the power. So, that's what I did. Then in calssic 8-bit Nintendo fashion, I blew into all the openings in the computer that I could find. Mic plugs, CD-ROM, USB jacks, headphones, and a couple of those PCMCIA slots were all subjected to this technique for an average of three seconds.

Then, the re-boot. Then, the horror.

I tried restarting in Safe Mode, Last Known Good Configuration, etc. THe whole kit-n-kaboodle. And nothing. It just flashes a quick blue screen and goes into a restart loop.

Scott suggested it may have caught "the mexican virus." He could be right, but are these the symptoms? I'm opening up to what others might have to contribute as far as diagnosis goes. Feel free to comment. For your effort, I'll send you a fragment of the HD if I can't get it fixed.

On Peace and Fruits

2006-07-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

On the morning of September 23, 2005, I awoke to the sound of roadwork outside my window. A new coating of asphalt was being placed over existing asphalt that was in generally good condition and warranted no repair. However, in an end-of-budget-year push, the city was quickly laying down blacktop and replacing pipe that really didn't need it. The reasoning was (however faulty) that if the city let those budgeted funds go unused, their subsequent budgets would be garnered accordingly, and it was possible that, as a result, they might run out of funds early in some future budget period. So, they brought in the dump trucks, tar sprayers and the steamrollers.

I wondered, "Is all this really necessary?" There are some things we do in life that seem to come of ether rather than of necessity. Budgets for example, and fruits for another.

I like a tall glass of orange juice as much as the next guy. In fact at one point, I drank more than 1 litre per day (it was about 50 cents/litre in Switzerland). But there comes a point in every man's life when he has to stand up and say: "I may like orange juice, but that doesn't mean I have to like oranges."

After all, we have chicken, ribs, steak, pork chops, bacon, sausage, salmon, halibut, sushi, french dip, noodles and all sorts of bread (toast, rolls, frenchbread, sourdough, cinamonrolls, bagels, muffins, crackers, brochette, carrotbread, Wonder... and possibly even "maize," which I suspect is some type of bread). Plenty of stuff to eat. Do we really need more?

I say we do not. Especially not fruits. They are acidic and hard to pick. Wars have been fought over them (see the Pineapple War of 1812, the Kiwi Plague of the 1430's, and more recently the Treaty of Grape which resulted in the infamous Grapefruit Massacre. Some also believe JFK was shot with a "salad shooter." Said salad reportedly contained Mandarin oranges and some type of nut assortment.) If all that weren't enough, fruits can have worms or other vestibules of horror embedded in them. Worst of all- they have an unpleasant texture. Ask anyone: which would you rather feel on your cheek- the texture of cotton candy, or the texture of the outside of a pineapple?

So with this, we establish The Coalition Against Fruits and Several Vegetables. Our goal is to eventually stop all consumption of fruits (and any vegetables that seem like they should be classified as fruits), and also celery.

We'll start with America and over the next few months, as we experience success at home, move the campaign abroad. We invite all to join our ranks in crying out "We love the juice, but we disdain the fruit." For just as if we didn't have budgets- we might use money more wisely, if we didn't have fruits- we might have peace on Earth.

SLC at it's Best

2006-07-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Paul Mayne, 2006

Salt Lake is the greatest city in the Union, or at least in Salt Lake County. For the sake of time, here are just 3 of the many reasons:

1- I saw a midget (little person) riding his bicycle on the grass at liberty park.

2- I saw a man puting a moon boot on his right foot (the left one was alredy on) while sitting under a tree at Pioneer Park. Keep in mind that its 95 degrees in Salt Lake this week.

3- The taco stand Paul showed me for lunch last week offers the best food at the particular corner on which it is located (the green arrow on the map is on the wrong corner, but you get the point). You get tacos for a buck and you don't pay until you're done eating. Best part is, you sit on the sidewalk or lean against the wall of a building with a sign that says "Please do not stand or lean against the building." At first I thought it was a weird thing to ask. But I've decided it's pretty reasonable considering the fact that to topple the walls of Jericho, they just did a little jig and then shouted really loud. Surely we can't expect the feeble wall of a downtown business to withstand more than the walls of a once great city.

Copyright

2006-06-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, I'll use one of my brother's pictures on my blog or for something at school. Since he's just graduated from law school, naturally, he threatens to sue me. And since I'm stronger than him, I threaten to beat him up.

In an effort to make reparations, I figured I might as well tell a little bit about a few photos I've actually shot. A couple people have asked about the photos in my header. So, the following are mine rather than others that I've borrowed over the years.

The "city on a hill" next to the ocean. This is Vernazza, Italy- one of the five cities that make up "Cinque Terre" on the Mediterranean Sea. I took the picture after visiting the cities on my trip to Europe in 2004.

This water tower is on top of the Ford Building in SLC, home to Richter7, Bysis, AgencyFusion, and the Union Pacific guys.

The picture of the wheat field is along the Alpine Loop on the back side of Mount Timponogos, UT. If i remember right, it was Cascade Springs...about two years after a boy scout burned the place to the ground.

A Seattle skyline near Pike's Market on the way to Grant's Island near Ketchikan, Alaska in 2003.

And finally, this lamp and stone tower is part of "Le Palais de l'Isle" (a prison in the 11th century where you can still visit the dungeon) in the middle of the Thiou river in Annecy, France.

So that's all for today. If you want to see some of the best photography ever, check out my nephew Noah's photo blog. He's pretty much the coolest kid on the planet. Jake took the photos, but they're still good.

Parade

2006-06-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

Delta, UT --

I like big cities, but I've always been interested in small towns, too (Annecy, Zermatt, Chamonix, Vernazza, Gex, Sion, Jackson Hole...Delta). When I was all excited to make the trip to Delta and even more excited once we arrrived, Nate was pretty puzzled. Memorial Day weekend, I ran into a cousin of mine who lives in San Deigo. He's in town directing a movie (Parade) due out in 2007 and needed a DJ for one of the scenes. I was happy to take a break from work and make the trip down to Millard County.

Delta has a 7-Eleven, a rodeo, and a Deseret Industries. Admittedly, it doesn't sound like the most exciting town in the country, but I know of at least one thing that might change your mind.

I saw some Indians (feathers, not dots). Since my friend Calvert in junior high, I've always wished we had more Native Americans in Davis County. They're friendly and generally wise. And I always feel less threatened by drought when they're around.

If that wasn't great enough, the Delta DI is probably one of the best in the state. They had a nice brown jacket, a Nat King Cole compact music disc (no scratches), and a very cool old book.

After spending some time at the DI, we had roughly four hours until the film crew showed up so Nate and I threw the football, and I read the introduction to Freakonomics- which I really think I'm going to like.

At about 8PM, we set up the equipment and started filming around 9. We were done by 11, back on the road by 12, and I was back in bed by 3AM.

The Main Events:

"D" is for Delta. After 2 1/2 hours, we arrive.

Wearing my new DI brown jacket, we visit the "Cosmic Ray Center." The cosmic ray center is mostly just an empty building. But it sounds cool. They store aliens and guns in the basement. And probably some cans of powdered milk.

Battle wound. If you're going to drive a trailer with your tailgate down, it's best not to turn.

And finally, "Action."

Hawaii

2006-05-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Kilauea Lighthouse, northernmost point of the main Hawaiian Islands

A Comprehensive History

Hawaii was discovered in 1959 by The United States of America. The Americans decided it was pretty, so they decided it was theirs. Some Hawaiians still live there, and many people who aren't Hawaiians go there to visit.

Activities for visitors can include eating, swimming, fishing, surfing, boating, and learning about Hawiian history. On a revent trip to Kauai, I participated in most of those activities.

I've created a page chock full of pictures from my trip here, and I'll probably be adding some more as soon as my brother Jack gets back from his extended stay on the islands.

11:45 PM Mountain Time

2006-05-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

Justin's on the board, I'm about to get pummelled by the wave.

It was like eating a whole bag of soggy potato chips in 3.5 seconds.

RE: Out of Office Reply

2006-05-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'll be in Kauai if anybody needs me.

Death Cab August 8th

2006-05-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

They'll be playing at the McKay Events Center on Tuesday, August 8th. A limited number of tickets will be released for pre-sale Monday, May 8th at 3pm. To get those, go here. You'll need the secret code: "dcfc" and the secret password: "tickets" There's a limit of 4 per person. Good luck. Public sale begins Saturday, 5/13.

The Green Light

2006-05-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

Plans changed. April is the new graduation date.

A Pigskin Tragedy

2006-04-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

Becca: Thanks for letting us throw your football.
Tim: Sorry about your windshield.

A Belated Earth Day

2006-04-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

Growing up, the only thing I remember about Earth Day was my 7th grade Earth Science teacher, Mrs. Taylor. She wore a lime green shirt most of the time and she had webbed feet.

There were cages of gerbils that lined the walls, and the classroom smelled like dirty animals in a dusty barn. But Mrs. Taylor was a nice woman- and I have to give her credit for the gumption it must take to [try to] teach a rowdy pack of seventh graders and put up with their guff year after year.

Mrs. Taylor wanted us to save the rain forests. So with the help of some other eco-friendly colleagues, she put up a parking meter. Next to the library, we could deposit our lunch money and watch the number of rainforest acres we were saving accumulate on a dial.

I was always skeptical of efforts like that. After all, if I could save an acre just by donating 10 cents, why couldn't a group of grown-ups just buy all the acres and save the rain forests for good? We were 7th graders; we couldn't really change anything. Change was up to adults. Big people with money and driver's licenses. People who didn't have to go to school, and who were their own bosses.

Seventh graders were supposed to ride bikes, play dodge ball, and pass notes in class. We couldn't be expected to change anything important.

I recently finished "The Tipping Point...How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference," by Malcolm Gladwell. The book talks a lot about how epidemics start and are spread through a community- usually just a couple of small changes in the status quo that put something over the edge; the tipping point.

Mrs. Taylor probably didn't think any one of us could change the world either. She didn't expect that by the end of the semester, the rain forests would all be saved and we'd breathe fresh air happily ever after. But she made a small effort toward the goal of a big change. She tried. And hopefully, along the way, she got someone to stop and think about doing something for a cause greater than themselves.

When you ask them about her class, most people will probably still think about the dinge of the air or Mrs. Taylor's amphibious feet. But there are some who will plant a tree today (even if they missed Earth Day by a few). They know it might not change the world, but they also know it's better than just sitting and expecting someone else to do it. It's a small change that nearly anyone can make- regardless of age, income, or experience- and that given time and repetition, could make a real difference.

The New Radio

2006-04-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

I wrote the following article over the course of several months and had to abruptly finish it Monday. It's not perfect, but it illustrates the direction I think radio will take. It probably won't interest most of you--at least not enough to read all 15 pages, but if you're in radio, you might like it. The article has somewhat of a slant towards KSL since that's where I work. Occasionally.

Oh- and I stole the whole "radio 2.0" thing from the cliche of "web 2.0."

Thanks to those of you who participated in the survey.
So...here goes.

HD radio made its way into the Salt Lake market in May 2005. KSL was the first here to broadcast commercially using the technology. But no one had an HD radio to pick up the signal, so the majority of listeners continued to receive the same old signal they'd always listened to. The only difference most of us heard were the promos touting the new technology. I was excited about it, and the engineers were excited about it. KSL had an HD unit in the second floor conference room and we ate pizza and cake. The radio sounded great-especially comparing it to the signal that had been in use on the AM dial since 1922. We thought it was incredible, but it was our HD radio and one of the few in the state. In short, nobody else seemed to care much, and soon the novelty died off. In fact, in a survey conducted by the author, over 85% of respondents had never even heard of high definition radio. It became clear that HD is not "the new radio."

In September of 2005, the company added a simulcast FM signal just days before 97.5 FM went on air-to become the first commercial FM talker in the state. When it comes to tech trends, KSL remains the most forward-thinking of the bunch in the Salt Lake City metro-possibly even the nation. With their RSS feeds, blog, podcasts, and their general push to be the first to adopt every innovation in radio, they at least have the desire to stay on top of the radio heap.

In January 2006, KSL Newsradio and their parent company Bonneville International Corporation announced the "Bonneville FM News Initiative." They described it as "a major initiative aimed at developing the next generation of radio news content and style."[1] Basically, the initiative is a move to attract a wider and younger audience. While KSL is Bonneville's flagship radio station, and the highest rated station in the Salt Lake MSA, KSL's current demographic is weighted heavily toward the older end of their primary M25-54 target.

As the radio industry progresses, it will be important for stations to widen-even to reshape their view of how they'll survive in the long term. Being the first to adopt the emerging radio technology may not do the trick. More importantly, they'll have to adopt, adapt, and find their place next to-or along with new non-radio technology and the culture these technologies are creating.

The introduction of iPods and similar innovations could actually be favorable for KSL as well as a wide gamut of radio stations that don't follow the talk format. In fact, adaptation and convergence could push them further ahead in cume and TSL. But if this integration is not done right, the impending leap forward in radio won't happen.

First, as the younger crowd flips off the radio and powers up the iPod, they're becoming harder to reach. When it comes to music, the younger end of the prime M18-34 target demographic is crossfading from radio to newer, more portable technologies. In a survey conducted primarily of college-age students, 69% owned an iPod or other MP3 player. Forty-seven percent of those surveyed noted that their use of radio had declined as a result of the use of an MP3 player. It is clear that there is a change in where people are getting their media fix. The digitization of music, movies and other media was a start, and portability, personalization and easy transfer of these digital files is becoming the final straw pushing the new media revolution.

Second, the other end of the demographic is going to die. Literally. As the current audience age moves in tandem with actual time, the audience will grow old and, barring a medical miracle, will eventually die leaving a generation of iPod users who are particularly averse to the current dictatorial relationship between a radio station and its prospective audience.

Social bookmarking and peer reviews - The new decision making process.

In the future-and even now, the Amazon model in which consumers recommend (or disparage) products and experiences will become the new process of deciding what a person will use or purchase. Instead of a consumer ingesting the formula provided by the record label, corporation, or marketing expert, today's consumers are turning to each other in an effort to refine and personalize their decision-making process. Websites such as Digg, Del.icio.us, Newsvine, Slashdot, and even the simple blog have begun to change the way we gather information and the value we place on that information.

The shift presents itself in the way we decide what information is relevant and valuable. Since the inception of mass media, networks such as ABC, CBS and NBC have been the authority on news and world events. Those networks were the gatekeepers to our media consumption and effectively, through advertising, also our product consumption. The average consumer was spoon-fed the information the networks deemed "newsworthy." Recently, however, the term "newsworthy" has begun to depend more on our own tastes and interests. The social bookmarking and review sites have given the user the ability to determine newsworthiness on their own and with the help of other like-minded individuals. Our choices are becoming ever more dependant upon the respect or confidence we place in those we trust, and less dependant on the authority or influence generated by the mass media.

One website that has effectively incorporated this democratic model can be found at Pandora.com. Stemming from the Music Genome Project,[2] Pandora lets users pick a song or music group they like, and it finds and plays music similar in beat, tone and makeup to those groups or songs the user expresses interest in. This online "station" can be shared with friends opening up a whole new world of music to the consumer who would otherwise have been confined to the mundane rotation the program director at a particular station deemed "popular."

The Shrinking Audience.

Why would an audience continue listening to radio if all the music they want to hear can be instantly and portably accessed online or on an iPod-not to mention with better audio quality and user control?

Why would listeners continue to tolerate the constant interruption of their programming by the advertising segments commercial radio forces on its listeners?

How can a radio signal (whether AM, FM, satellite, or even high definition) match the quality and convenience of a portable music player, media phone, or notebook computer?

The answer to all the questions above: they won't. The digital age has brought with it an expectation of freedom, options, and personalization in media. The current audience will, as mentioned above, continue to shrink and die off. But does radio have to radio die with it?

Radio will live on, but in order to do so it must adapt to the new culture created by changing technology-for if radio insists on remaining just the jukebox it has been for the past ninety years, it will go the way of the film strip. Through ingenuity and forward thinking, radio is poised to shed its cocoon and could become a much greater influence than it has been in recent years. Radio still has unlimited potential as a useful and reinvigorated medium for discovery when combined with the technology that is beginning to make media consumption a much more personal experience than it has been in the past.

The Shrunken Audience

The shrunken audience that results from new outlets for programming becomes an integral part of the success of the new radio. Gradually, advertisers have been moving away from the mass media. The internet, for example, has made it possible to accurately track ad impressions, target specific groups-even to geo-target[3] consumers. This effectively moves a chunk of advertising away from mass marketing and toward niche marketing, where specific prospects are targeted through a refined marketing plan. This method is comparable to killing a deer with a rifle rather than a shotgun. You use a lot fewer bullets and you're usually more accurate and deadly. So even though the new radio audience is smaller, the situation enables marketers to refine their campaigns to target specific groups with even greater effectiveness.

In online advertising, you'll find that advertisements on specific sites with a narrow audience will often cost more than an advertisement on a website with much higher site traffic and a more general scope.

For example, the open banner rate on USAToday.com is $25 while the open banner rate on HollywoodReporter.com (a specialized website with many fewer visitors than USAToday) is $45.00.[4]

An advertiser on HollywoodReporter.com is shooting at a target with specific interests and habits-making it a valuable tool for advertising products that meet the needs of that specific market. While an advertiser on USAToday.com has a larger audience, there is no telling how many wasted impressions the advertiser is buying to advertise to people who would have no interest in the message or product being thrown in front of them.

In a similar fashion, radio stations will have to segment and differentiate themselves by more than just age and sex, as they often do today. The smaller radio audiences will be able to maintain their revenues by offering a very specific target to advertisers.

Blogs have received an impressive amount of attention in recent months, partly because of their popularity and place in pop culture- but also as a result of the influence they're having on media consumption. Estimates on the number of blogs range from 10 million to 60 million worldwide. [5] While a majority of these are probably personal blogs, many are used by companies and organizations seeking a stronger connection to their customers.[6] Since a blog, in its simplest terms is just a website, the technology has been around since the dawn of the internet. But the ease of use and possibility for the average person to create their own blog without web programming skills has created a voice for millions of people. Blogs have also created a simple connection between a company and its customers, and offered a way for users to give feedback, suggestions, and to comment on the issues.

KSL Newsradio was one of the first radio stations in the country to integrate a blog into their website. In addition, KSL was on top of the XML/RSS wave that brought added speed and convenience to news delivery. But the station didn't stop there; they were also leaders in using podcasts. They now give listeners more options for listening as well as a look behind the scenes of the programs KSL produces. The company won and Edward R. Murrow award for the innovation of their website. KSL Newsradio is no longer just news radio, it has become a comprehensive source for local and national news-and the way in which that content is consumed is at the behest of the consumer.

Blogs, podcasts, media phones-each of these technologies has the potential of pushing radio out of its spot as a primary source of news. Blogs deliver news from a more user-friendly and less corporate point of view, easily tailored to the average consumer and without the oversight of a large and often politically motivated corporation, and podcasts enable the user to select what they'll listen to as well as when and where they'll listen to it.

Despite the myriad of emerging media delivery techniques, radio, a technology nearly 100 years old, has a fighting chance to remain a valuable means of transmission. In his article entitled "Principles of Mediamorphosis," Roger Fidler noted:

"The emergence of new media rarely precipitates the death of old media; instead, existing media forms evolve and adapt to the changing communication environment, in a gradual process comparable in some ways to the evolution of species."[7]

This is exactly what is meant by the term "mediamorphosis." In nearly all cases, new media do not suddenly appear, nor do they suddenly disappear (film strips excepted). Instead, they emerge from older media. When this newer form gains popularity and usefulness, the old media adapt and evolve, usually finding a new place in the media mix rather than becoming extinct.

KSL is a classic example of how radio can use these new forms of media delivery to its advantage, however, their actions must be seen as a beginning rather than the final solution to a problem that might otherwise precipitate radio from legitimacy.

In discussing blogs and podcasts and their potential effect on radio, it is important to mention a term coined by Paul Saffo, a new media forecaster and director at the Institute for the Future. He argues that there is a "strange phenomenon" called "technomyopia" that causes us to overestimate the impact of certain new technologies. Then when the technology falls short of our inflated expectations, we underestimate the impact it will have in the long term.[8]

Technomyopia, at least in part, has taken place with blogs and podcasting. The doomsayers predicted the iPod would virtually wipe out radio. As we asked before, why would listeners continue to tolerate the constant interruption of their programming by the advertising segments commercial radio forces on its listeners? The answer is that when you combine the strengths of radio with the strengths of the iPod, you have a powerful tool for gathering and consuming media-and you give control back to the consumer. Despite this potential, in keeping with the technomyopia formula, others have downplayed the usefulness of blogs and podcasts. They've ventured that the new media will soon lose their appeal and legitimacy as people realize the opinions on blogs and contained in podcasts are mere opinion as opposed to news, and that many are simply false. Instead of taking either viewpoint to the extreme, we're best served by applying the theory of mediamorphosis.

A lot of lip service has been given to media convergence, but this is where the rubber meets the road. Integrated newsrooms (television and radio news combined) have actually shown little advantage over the traditional separation of the two, but convergence when it comes to the combining of all available tools of broadcast presents a unique opportunity to dismantle the one-sided dictatorial formula mass media has been offering to consumers.

The advance of technology and the user's demand for personal control over it is creating a democracy of information where each person can contribute-if not by physically writing news as they see it, by validating the content they feel is pertinent to their interests. The community is replacing the corporation, and with the new entity they form will come a new purpose and a new attitude.

The New Purpose

Radio has strengths that no other medium has. Nothing else has the ability to be so "live" and on the spot. The dissemination of information (music, news, etc.) is instant, and without noticeable delay. It allows instant user interaction via telephone, and provides a forum for the opinions of the consumer using the actual human voice that communicates much more than the type on a screen can convey. Combining these strengths with those of emerging technologies will take radio to new heights.

Currently, the majority of the country's radio stations are owned by corporate conglomerates. Programming in these instances is often guided by a central headquarters for each company located outside the MSA a radio station serves. Voice tracks are fed to the station to simulate live programming, and most consumers are none the wiser about where their music is actually coming from, but they are beginning to catch on. The new purpose of radio will be to serve the specific MSA a station is in-it will not be able to survive as a pipe for the corporation where all programming is thrown down the chute for mass consumption without regard for local taste and culture.

In the study conducted by the author, 48% of respondents said that despite their heavy use of the iPod, they would continue listening to the radio in the future the same amount as they do now. In addition, nearly half of those surveyed said the future of radio looks "bright."

What about the future of radio could be bright? For one, radio still has a large influence-it is not dead, and many don't see it as dying. But if stations don't integrate technologies at least as fast as consumers are adopting them, the stations run the risk of becoming nothing more than archaic clearinghouses for advertisements in the eyes of their listeners.

The future of radio lies in the connections it makes with the public. Podcasts and blogs have shown the importance of interaction, transparency, and independence. While stations can still be owned by larger corporations, they must localize their programming and provide the connection that consumers desire. Blogs and podcasting are ways of fulfilling this new purpose-but even the programming will be required to return to its roots.

Radio stations will become a search engine for new music, local events, and information. Consumers will tune in for the experience of discovering more about the opportunities around them. They'll discover their favorite band is actually a local band. They will discover that they can call in and address concerns to their local politicians. They'll discover the events going on in their city or state this weekend are more exciting than watching a beach party hundreds of miles away on MTV. Then, they'll log on to the station's website to follow up on the coverage of those events, or to respond to the politician that made his views known over the airwaves. They'll visit the website to download the podcast of the interview with the local musicians that played in the city park on Saturday, and from there the station will become a friend of the community that shares information instead of dictating the corporate decision of what should be considered the day's "news," or the "top-40."

In its place alongside television, the internet, the iPod, and other upcoming technologies, radio will emerge as a thriving source for the discovery of news, music, and events-and will be powered by its strong connection to the user. As with all media who wish to survive, radio will become a participatory experience where the listener becomes more than just a listener. The listener becomes a a contributor, and ultimately a marketer of the new radio.

[1] Bonneville International Announces The Next Stage Of "News On The FM" Press Release, Jan. 16, 2006. p.1 can also be found at http://www.bonnint.com/docs/FM_news_initiative.pdf

[2] http://pandora.com/mgp.shtml

[3] The method of directing advertisements based on their geographical location. This is possible using computers that generally record much more information about a computer user than the user is aware of. Zip codes, computer settings, names, and much more can be gathered by marketers without any action on the part of the consumer.

[4] Online rate search on SRDS Media Solutions (http://www.srds.com), 2006.

[5] The New York Times and USA Today put the number of blogs worldwide at 10 million while the Ottawa Citizen and the Ann Arbor News suggested there are 36.1 million, and The Blog Herald put the number closer to 60 million.

[6] According to a Wikipedia article, blog types include, but are not limited to: personal, professional or career, cultural, social, topical, business, science, collaborative, eclectic, educational, directory, link, forum, sketch, photoblogs, and political blogs.

[7] Mediamorphosis: Understanding New Media, Roger Fidler. Pine Forge Press 1997, p.1-29.

[8] "Paul Saffo and the 30 Rear Rule," p. 18

On The Positive Side

2006-04-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

I'll be graduating in December.

Wasatch Back Relay # 3

2006-04-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

PowerPlay Productions will be a Gold sponsor for this year's Wasatch Back Relay June 23-24.

The WBR, now in its third year, is a crazy 170 mile relay race from Logan to Park City. Teams of 12 each run, run, and keep running for 24 straight hours. They start Friday morning and end sometime Saturday. Along the route there's music, stuff to buy, vans, reporters and runners- and hopefully some bears or other assorted wildlife. In fact, maybe the coolest part is that you don't have to run in it to have fun. You can head up to Park City on Saturday and spend the day shopping, eating, and partying at the finish line, it's a cool environment.

Last year we provided sound at the finish line for The Grey Effect and Dave Peery. This year, we'll be in Paradise (the city), Huntsville, and Heber providing about 20 hours of sound for The Puddle Mountain Ramblers, The Grey Effect, and possibly Quickdraw.

BackRoad Events, the company that puts on the WBR is currently going through a rebranding process and has just about decided on a copmany to do that for them. Unfortunately Richter7 didn't pitch for the business and it looks like it will be handled by Energi out of Santa Monica. While they're working on that, the BackRoad Events partners put together a brochure for all 3 races they're doing this year. I saw the proof tonight for the piece on the press over at Paragon. It will be exciting to see what Energi comes up with.

Check out wasatchbackrelay.com for more info on the race, and listen to My 97.5 FM or 105.7 The River to hear us on the promos.

Diminishing Returns

2006-04-10T00:10:00.000-07:00

Forty hours without sleep, 1 hour and 18 minutes before the deadline, I submitted my portfolio to the Creative Track then went to work at KSL. There's something eerie about being awake all day, watching the sun go down, then come back up, and go back down again without ever closing your eyes except to blink. Time actually starts to go by faster and energy comes in short spurts. All your ideas seem like pure genius until sleep injects you with sanity and reason.

I think I do my best creative work late at night. But like running a marathon, there's a wall you hit and it takes everything you've got left to break through it and finish. (I wouldn't know anything about running a marathon...I'm pretty much allergic to running unless it's towards a chocolate pie or away from a relationship. But I've heard people talk about 'em.) Anyway- at about 30 hours I was on the phone with people at work (which I skipped) trying to work some things out (nice job Bryan), and my brain wasn't really functioning. I could actually tell I was thinking and talking slower, and I couldn't help it. It was like coming out of a nitrous oxide induced coma, and trying to set the VCR to record Married With Children (never done that either but you can imagine, right?). Neat experience.

Anyway, after the feedback on my first "Don't N-Waste Utah" ad, I took a bit of a different direction away from the gas mask idea and toward a "where do we draw the line" point of view. It really didn't come through quite like I thought it did at 4:30am...but it will have to do. Anyway, it was just an addition to the campaigns for drug awareness, REI (which I think both hold their own), and other ads for The Geek Squad, the Marketing Association, and a few design pieces.

I've got to say the portfolio case turned out pretty incredible. Made of black foam core with silver embossed logo- as long as they don't judge by the work inside, it should be my ticket into the creative track.

The real genius is in the case, thanks Uncle Gary.

In about two weeks, I should know if I was accepted. If not, I'll be finishing school early and probably a little disappointed, but happy just the same.

light breaks underneath
a heavy door
and i try to keep myself awake
fall all around on a hotel floor
and you think that you've made a mistake
and there's a pain in my stomach
from another sleepless binge
and i struggle to get myself up again
i want to hang onto something
that wont break away or fall apart
like the pieces of my heart*

*from Globes and Maps by Something Corporate. Good song. Real good song.

Plans

2006-04-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

Be the flower delivery guy
Own at least one bear (panda, grizzly, polar...it doesn't matter)
Live in a tent next to a cliff or a tree
Be a forest ranger
Live in an apartment in New York
Sit on the porch and whittle a stick
Be a mailman on a go-ped or on foot
Read the newspaper in the morning
Miss a flight
Paint on canvas
Listen to loud music for an extended period of time
Be a gypsy, but without the fleas
Build a shed
Drop cell phone in the ocean or the lava
Sit in the rain with a bunch of papers that probably shouldn't get wet
Watch the moon go back down
Sleep until the sun comes up

Stop PFS - Rate My Ad

2006-03-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a small series of ads in opposition to the PFS's proposal to locate a high level nuclear waste storage facility on the Goshute Indian Reservation in Utah (Skull Valley). In a nutshel, it's a dumb idea.

Here's the deal: It's possible that spent nuclear fuel will be transported through heavily populated areas across the Wasatch Front including Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah counties. In fact, spent fuel may be stopped in various rail yards including downtown Salt Lake City.

Private Fuel Storage, LLC plans to store up to 44,000 metric tons of uranium about 34 miles from SLC. The storage of this volume of waste in one location is unprecedented and is about the same volume as all commercial high level nuclear waste in the entire United States cominbed. PFS plans to store the waste in up to 4,000 uncovered concrete storage casks on concrete storage pads.

The state has raised concerns over the potential of military aircraft crashing into the storage facility--not to mention the fact that the military tests large footprint weapons, including cruise missiles, on the Utah Test and Training Range near the proposed storage site.

Three cruise missiles have gone off course and crashed since December 1997, including two outside of military property under the military operating area airspace.*

So like I said, it's a dumb idea. Dumb not only to be storing everyone's waste in our state, but even dumber because it could make us a target for terrorist attacks, weaken Hill AFB since the Realignment Committee will undobutedly consider the idiocy of training next to a big pile of lethal n-waste, and because it would pose an unnecessary danger to the majority of Utah's population in transport alone.

Although the Nuclear Regulatory Committee already approved the plan, we have some time to combat PFS (and the few adult Goshutes who actually want it). Still, the site could be in business as early as 2008.

It's pretty rare that I side with Harry Reid, but I've got to go with him on this one. Reid proposed storing nuclear waste at the facilities where it is produced, providing an alternative to the PFS site in Utah and Yucca Mountain in Reid's Nevada.

"Thousands of tons of deadly nuclear material will pass homes, schools, businesses and churches in communities all across the country, and there is simply no way to safely do this," Reid said.

Agreed. Read a good short article by Jim Matheson here.

Anyway, I wanted to open up for comments on the design of the ad- typography? layout? do the atomic symbols match the type, or should I try barbed wire instead? etc...suggestions appreciated.

*Most of that info comes from the Utah Department of Environmental Quality's fact sheet on the proposal. But you didn't really read that whole thing, did you?

The Future of Radio

2006-03-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, some sort of chemical imbalance or avian bird flu convinced me that I didn't have enough to keep busy, and I started writing a paper about terrestrial (AM/FM) radio and the direction it's headed.

Writing a paper without me being coerced is simmilar to spontaneous combustion, only much less likely to happen without the help of a flame thrower. In any case, I started and now I'm determined to finish.

In an effort to keep from being completely biased, I've put together a short survey to get an idea of the public's habits and perceptions in relation to radio. If you'd like to participate in the survey (25 questions you already know the answer to unless you're generally comotose), you'll be entered to win one of two gift certificates to The Macaroni Grill. They're worth $10 each. At that rate if you take it, you could, in theory, make $60/hour. Your work week is limited to about 10 minutes, though, so don't get too excited.

Please take the survey here. And if you would share the survey with your buddies, hombres, hermanas, family and friends, subjects, and other acquaintances (no pets, please), I'd really appreciate it. Really. Thanks.

Today's Traffic Brought To You By...

2006-03-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

An inquiry into the increased traffic to my blog today turned up a mention of my opinion of the new state slogan in LaVarr Webb's "Monday Buzz" article on utahpolicy.com.* He spelled my name wrong, but for the honor [insert sarcasm here] of being mentioned in any article along with advice to Bob Bennet or "the inevitable legalization of polygamy," I'll let it slide.*

Thank you Mr. Web.

*This is possibly the longest sentence I've ever written.
*This one beat the first sentence, and is now confirmed as the longest sentence I've ever written.

The New State Slogan

2006-03-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

Um, still thinking about this one...

Could be worse, should be better.

As of about 3PM Saturday, there were 57 comments on the KSL article. About fifty of the comments are negative (and although I'm not a huge fan of the slogan, it's clear that about 45 of those are uneducated responses).

If you'd rather watch than read, here's the video. The best part is the communications director of the Utah Travel Council, Tracie Cayford, saying:

"We're not just about altitude, we are about attitude. We are a little edgy."

Wait, we're talking about Utah here- right?

Anyway, the slogan is part of the Utah Travel Council's $10-14 million dollar ad campaign contracted to W Communications.

Super Dell Finally Snaps

2006-03-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

This is the wierdest thing I've seen in a long time. By far.

Totally Awesome Computers shut down today, and owner Dell Schanze is blaming the media, or more accurately- spouting off like a mad man. A few of my favorite quotes:

"You are angels of Satan,"
"all of the media in Utah are liars and murderers."

The closing of the company will leave around 80 people without jobs, although PC Laptops (another crazy company, if you judge by their advertisements) will be hiring around thirty of Totally Awesome's employees.

In response to the question of what would happen to his employees, Dell replied "The blood of these people is on your hands. You just destroyed the greatest computer company of all time."

Wait...Totally Awesome Computers was the "greatest computer company of all time?" That's probably news to the computer community at large.

My guess as to why "the greatest computer company of all time" is now closed? Dell spent all the profits on trophies and awards for his own company. (Probably got the idea from "personal medals" in this year's Olympics)

And finally, my favorite Dell Schanze quote:

"You're angels of Satan, and that's horrible. I can say to the people of Utah, please pray for all the news people, because if you die right now, your souls and eternal salvation is in serious jeopardy."

To get the full effect, you've got to check out the video from KSL Here (you'll need Real player ). The video is priceless.

Rumors are the IRS is auditing.

The Walk Slowly Initiative

2006-02-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I wrote this great article about a cat lady I met. And I didn't save it and now it's lost. Normally, I'd try to remember it word-for-word and recreate the story. And the world would know about the cat lady (and by world I mean the two people who visit this site at least once per quarter).

Instead, today marks a new day for me. I'm not going to do it. I'm going to let it go. And from now on, I'm not going to walk fast, either. I woke up this morning, and I said "Hey, I'm done walking briskly." And that was it.

I went to four classes today. I walked non-fast to all of them. I was late to three of them, and I liked it.

In related news, Aaron got his internship with that investment bank he's fallen in love with (Robert W Baird) in Milwaukee. Milwaukee is in Wisconsin.

Some people might say Aaron getting the internship had nothing to do with my decision to never walk fast again. I think that's like saying people don't call a cat lady "The Cat Lady" just because she's got a bunch of cats all up in her house.

So, I'm introducing the "Walk Slowly Initiative," or the WSI. And I invite good people everywhere to hold up a step-and take time to appreciate the path that will eventually lead you to wherever it is you'll end up. You migt be late, but I promise you'll be rested.

*Thanks to Jayne with a Y for letting me know a couple months ago that I walk[ed] too fast, and congrats to the Aace on the internship.

Meme?

2006-02-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

What's a "meme?" In French, it means "the same." In English...I don't know, I just do what I'm told.

So, Paul's image is way better than mine...and after doing some research, it doesn't look like an image is even required, but I thought I'd give it a shot anyway. Here are my responses:

Four jobs I've had
1. Service Tech at Burt Brother's Tire
2. Spanky's (I was king of the 6 inch sub)
3. On-site Events Coordinator at KSL Newsradio
4. Intern at Richter7
-My favorite? What could be better than making sandwiches at Colonial Square with Jose and Phil? I also work for PowerPlay Productions, but it doesn't really count as work.

Four movies I could watch over and over
1. Bottlerocket
2. Waiting for Guffman
3. Spellbound
4. Crash or Garden State
-Close runner-ups would be Raising Arizona, Harold and Maude, and Titanic. Just kidding about that last one.

Four places I've lived
1. Pleasant Gove, UT
2. Bountiful, UT
3. Sion, Switzerland
4. Annecy, France
-I will live in Switzerland again.

Four tv shows I love
1. The Office
2. 24
3. CNN
4. There aren't four...
-The Office is the best show ever. Ever.

Four places I've vacationed
1. Zermatt
2. Florence, Italy
3. Ketchikan, Alaska
4. Belize
-And soon to be Kauai.

Four of my favorite dishes
1. Steak and Mashed Potatoes
2. Sushi- Vegas Rolls
3. Cajun Chicken Alfredo from the Porcupine Grille
4. Ramen
-Ramen is only on the list because without it, I'd have died four years ago.

Four sites I visit daily
1. passwird
2. noahcrockett.com
3. newsvine
4. paulmayne.org

Four places I'd rather be right now
1. Snowbird
2. Switzerland
3. Moab
4. Grant's Island

Four people I'm tagging
Jake Crockett
Becca Foster
Dave Rathbunstein
Larry Sagers