Requiem for the Golden Age of Deep Vein Thrombosis?
Westworld B.C. - How to be a donkey by doing "air fitness" exercises on a plane. I have a feeling this isn't going to much of a pressing concern anymore.
Below Suspicion
(Kling klang image to engorge.)
Seattle Magazine - Surveillance: it's for your own good. Your own double plus good. For an article about the introduction of "park rangers" to Seattle's city parks. Their job: to keep an eye on you. And roust bums and other undesirables, the definition of which seems to be their call.
Meanwhile here in Vancouver, charges of overstepping their authority - I didn't know they had any - are laid against our "Downtown Ambassadors," who are basically, supposedly, roaming tourist guides and friendly Neighbourhood Watch representatives. Instead, they're now turning into beat cops, telling the city's less attractive sights to hit the bricks. Granted this town largely resembles an open air looney bin, but since when does a toy badge give you expertise in social ills?
Proxy police - all part of the new "if you're not doing anything wrong, then you've got nothing to worry about" mentality. How else to explain this wonderful new addition to my girlfriend Bonni's building, in the entrance-way? --
What a delightful greeting. Maybe some razor ribbon and watchtowers around the apartment building's perimeter could really complete that cozy living-in-a-cell-block feeling.
It's certainly news to me that a strata council has the legal authority to call in the drug dogs. (Bonni rents, but most of the suites are owned). A quick peek at the above company's website explains that they specialize in sniffing out grow-ops and meth labs by giving your residential "common areas" the once-over. Sure enough, the other day I saw a woman-dog team combing the lobby. I could have told her that there was no meth lab there, but I didn't want to nail myself as an instant suspect. We have to watch our step now - I think there might be an old roach clip in the junk drawer.
Seriously, I'm going to have to go right ahead here and ask - What the fuck is going on? When did we all become suspects? And if the random drug searches are deemed unconstitutional in public schools, how is it okay in the building you live in? The net gets tighter every day.
All Folked Up
(Kling klang image to engorge)
It had to happen. I finally had a job go south on me because my computer I.Q. ain't high enough. The Calgary Folk Fest folks thought it might be a nice bit of continuity to have me design the gatefold map of the site for this year's program. You know, hand-drawn and all that, kinda' tying in with the poster.
I remember when drawing stuff was enough. Increasingly this isn't the case. Suddenly I'm a pre-press guy drowning in a cyber-swamp of shit I never had to deal with before. I draw. And I can colour in Photoshop. The end. I don't know from vectorizing, EPS, FLA, and frim-fram sauce. And I didn't think I'd need to. My mistake, apparently. Bottom line: they couldn't use it.
In many cases I'd prefer to do it the old fashioned way - couriering the line art for the AD's and production people to diddle with to their heart's content. Which also leaves me more time for drawing and using my precious brain cells for creating stuff, not pushing buttons. I'm a dinosaur now. Grrr.
Anyway, it was more of a communication problem than anything, and the Folk folks still continue to be fair and decent clients to deal with. I just feel like I got steamrolled by the future - today!
Enviro-Coach
Seattle Magazine - I'm sure I was inadvertently conjuring up any one of my many old psychotic P.E. teachers here. I wanted to add ready-to-burst veins on the guy, but figured that was a little much. Otherwise , I'm afraid it's pretty boring.
Dead/Alive: Bob & Doug
I did these McKenzie Brothers designs two or three years ago through an outfit here in town when Dave Thomas was resurrecting the characters for a proposed animated TV show. I did a lot of work on it, but as is so often the case, the show went nowhere. (I was paid decently, however.) Now it seems it's alive again, but for some strange reason they went with an L.A. studio. The results (which I won't link to in case they get on my case) are cheap and ugly - articulated paper doll Flash crap that looks more like web cartoons from eight years ago.
Possibly they needed the extra loot they'd save by going bargain-basement in order to placate Rick Moranis, who apparently was reluctant to get on board. I don't know if either of them ever saw my designs, but this is one case where I'm going to flatly declare that mine were better than the unexpressive, dead eyesores they came up with. That's showbiz, folks.
Massive
Something about a big tech convention and the world of wonders therein - Georgia Straight
(Kling klang to engorge.)
Picture of the Week
(Kling klang image to engorge.)
Location design - Interior tree diner
Music Bastards On the Run
Georgia Straight
Guy Divin'
Teekay Review
