Questionable(?) Quotes from the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics...

LOL... I just had to share these nine quips/quotes/comments made by NBC sports commentators/athletes during the Beijing Summer Olympics that they'd love to be able to take back:

1. Weightlifting commentator: 'This is Gregorieva from Bulgaria. I saw her snatch this morning during her warm up and it was amazing.'
2. Dressage commentator: 'This is really a lovely horse and I speak from personal experience since I once mounted her mother.'
3. Paul Hamm, Gymnast: 'I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father.'
4. Boxing Analyst: 'Sure there have been injuries, and even some deaths in boxing, but none of them really that serious.'
5. Softball announcer: 'If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again.'
6. Basketball analyst: 'He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces.'
7. At the rowing medal ceremony: 'Ah, isn't that nice, the wife of the IOC president is hugging the cox of the British crew.'
8. Soccer commentator: 'Julian Dicks is everywhere. It's like they've got eleven Dicks on the field.'
9. Tennis commentator: 'One of the reasons Andy is playing so well is that, before the final round, his wife takes out his balls and kisses them... Oh my God, what have I just said?'

...too funny IMO! I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I did. Thanks for sharing Rob - cheers!

Street Art or Graffiti?

I'll admit it... I'm a fan of graffiti (the image above was found on Adelaide in Winnipeg). That being said, I do feel a need to clarify the types of graffiti I'm a fan of. I can completely understand how building owners/property managers just loath the idea of graffiti in general and I tend to agree with them - to an extent. Winnipeg has a big problem with the non-sensible, graffiti 'tag' artists who aggressively scrawl their typically un-creative and rather bland 'tags' all over, in what appears to be an attempt to see who can 'tag' the most(?). Just taking a drive around the city or a walk around downtown and you'll see examples of these 'garbage tags' abound.


Graffiti has a very long history which goes back to ancient times, there have been examples from Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire (I'm sure that some artists would argue that cave painting could also be considered graffiti). Like the above image (found in the alley behind the office) states, 'graffiti can make your community beautiful.' I'd like to think that many people would agree with this statement (I'm also quite positive that there would be just as many that wouldn't agree ;P). There's a bit of a back story to this poster (FYI, it's not there any longer)... some of my closer friends and associates should know all about it. ;)


Check out some of the 'Reverse Graffiti' artists out there via the Environmental Graffiti blog... such as the Skulls in Sao Paolo by Alexandre Orion.


You can watch a video of him in action embedded above, or on YouTube, here.


Oh, and let's not forget about BANKSY... who's prolific stencil work, humour and political satire (who some would argue) has single-handedly, changed the world's view on the subject of street art/graffiti and garnered him thousands of fans (I'm one of them), copycats and millions of dollars. If you enjoy street art/graffiti, be sure to check out the Wooster Collective online. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on the subject... feel free to comment - cheers!

Recommended | PS3 - Metal Gear Solid 4...

One of the coolest gifts I've ever received was a PS3 (this past birthday, from my younger brother and eldest sister). I was initially in shock when I opened the package and was actually somewhat dismayed, my initial thoughts were, Great! How am I ever going to be able to save any money now? I'm going to need to buy a new HD TV, start purchasing Blu-ray discs to add to my (rather large) collection of movies, and PS3 games... ;) j/k. I can't thank them enough for the gift!

Anyhow, lately I've been trying to play through Metal Gear Solid 4 - Guns of the Patriots, and I have to say it's an amazing game... not only are the graphics, and movie-like, cut-scenes super cool, there's so much depth to the game it's ridiculous. It's not your typical action game, where running around like a maniac and shooting up everything in sight will work. This game is all about stealth and strategy.

I'm sure that opinions will vary, as some of the cut-scenes are rather lengthy, but the cut-scenes really add to the overall development of the story. I might be biased as I've been a fan of Hideo Kojima and the MGS series since first playing it on PSone. I'd highly recommend MGS4 for anyone looking for a challenge on their PS3, if you're playing through and need some hints, go and visit the MGS4 page on WikiCheats (a great online resource for video game tutorials and walkthroughs)- cheers!

Image via WikiCheats

Recommended Reading | ideasonideas - Running Your Own Race...

If you're a designer or working in the creative industry, I'd highly recommend that you take a few minutes to visit ideasonideas, where Eric Karjaluoto (of Smashlab) discusses design, brands and experience. In particular I recommend that you read one of Eric's recent posts entitled, Running Your Own Race.

I found the article to be quite interesting, and felt that Eric made some keen observations and raises some interesting points (thanks for sharing your thoughts Eric). Anyhow, I'll let you decide for yourself... go and read the article at ideasonideas, here. I'd welcome you to make a comment here after reading it. Enjoy!

The Manitoba Museum...

I've uploaded a collection of images to my Zoos, Museums, Aquariums, more... set on my Flickr account, here. These photos were taken during various trips to the Manitoba Museum (or if you're old enough, you might recall it as the Manitoba Museum of Man & Nature). Anyone who has been to the museum will recognize the iconic buffalo hunt diorama that greets you upon entry (as far as I know, it hasn't changed since I first visited the museum ages ago).



Once you've started into the museum and made it past the orientation gallery, you'll soon encounter the early history gallery , which contains some neat fossils, bones, models and dioramas (I've always been a big fan of models and dioramas)...


... from their you'll likely cross paths with a polar bear (albeit stuffed ;P) in the arctic/sub-arctic gallery.



Once you've made it past the polar bear, you'll find yourself in the second section of the arctic/sub-arctic gallery, where once again you'll encounter some neat displays, models and dioramas.



As you continue touring the museum, the next gallery you'll likely come across should be the boreal forest gallery...



A visit to the museum wouldn't be complete without checking out the Nonsuch and Hudson's Bay galleries (above image: a ram's head snuff container amongst the many items on display within the Hudson's Bay Company gallery).

I've always loved visiting museums, and have always felt that the Manitoba Museum is highly underrated (I'd definitely consider it to be 'gem' in our fair, little, city). Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the pics... I didn't even mention (or show you) the additional galleries which include, the parklands/mixed woods gallery, the grasslands gallery and the urban gallery! You can see my collection of images from all the galleries, taken during my various visits to the Manitoba Museum on my Flickr account, here.

I'd encourage you to visit the museum, if you ever decide to visit Winnipeg or if you've never been to it before. Visit the Manitoba Museum online to learn more, or you can take a virtual tour of the galleries. Cheers!

Blog Therapy - An Endeavor to Quit Smoking...

I'm very happy to hear that my good friend, Doug Fedrau has resurrected his blog, the Orange Kid as Blog Therapy in an endeavor to quit smoking! I'm 110% in support of his endeavor, and I would encourage you to visit his blog and show your support! Doug is a talented local designer, illustrator and photographer, who also recently started a Flickr account, you can check out his photos on Flickr, here.

Doug was the photographer who was responsible for taking the amazing collection of images from last year's Guardian Challenge - Kyokushin Karate Knockdown Tournament, which is collected on my Flickr account, here. I would encourage you all to start a blog, it's an amazingly rewarding experience... if you want any further encouragement, read Michael Surtees', recent post on DesignNotes, here - cheers!

The K.I.S.S. Principle...

The embedded video above, Underground Street Fight Showoff via Today's Big Thing is a perfect illustration of why the K.I.S.S. principle (keep it simple, stupid) really applies when it comes to an actual combat scenario... the caption from the website read as follows:

Capoeira is a flashy style of fighting based largely on break dancing. Unfortunately for this guy, there's more to winning a fight than what we've been taught by Michael Jackson music videos and West Side Story. Next time he'll focus less on dancing and more on punching.

... as a Kyokushin Karate-ka, I couldn't agree more. ;) Leave the flashy stuff for TV, movies and video games... you don't actually think that Street Fighter moves would work in a real fight do you? At least, I sure hope not... that is unless you can actually unleash a 'real' Hadoken. ;P - enjoy!

UPDATE: My brother tells me that this actually is a clip from a movie called 'Never Back Down'... I'll admit, I had my suspicions... ;P

WICKED! Design Ignites Change Poster by Marian Bantjes...

My apologies for the lack of posts this past week... I've been rather busy (I realize that's not the best excuse - so sue me). ;P Anyhow, I received this awesome (understatement), Design Ignites Change poster in the mail last week and have only now, gotten around to opening the poster tube and snapping a couple pictures to share with you all. The poster was designed by the exceptionally talented, Canadian designer, illustrator and typographer, Marian Bantjes (who's work I've long been a fan of - see here).


This laser cut poster was designed for the AED (the Academy for Educational Development), as part of their ongoing AED Design Social Change Projects. The proceeds from this poster went towards supporting AED's Speak for the Child project, which provides assistance to children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Kenya (a very worthy cause in my opinion). You can read more about the laser-cut poster on Marian's website, here - and on AED's Design Social Change site, here.

This poster will go quite nicely with the other Marian Bantjes poster/work I have in my collection. Both these posters (as far as I know) are SOLD OUT! But, if my 'Spidey-sense' is correct, you can expect to see more amazing/inspirational work from Marian soon!



Images (from top to bottom): the Design Ignites Change poster, the poster back-lit on the Circle light table, a cropping of a portion of the other Marian Bantjes poster in my collection (sadly, pictures could never do this intricate, vector poster justice, it's run in a metallic blue ink on a heavy weight paper and the detail is mind blowing), a close-up detail from the above poster.

Go Marian Go! Cheers!

Recommended Viewing | I Met the Walrus...

A beautifully animated video found on YouTube, via Swissmiss' blog (I've reposted Tina's description in it's entirety because it's so eloquently written):

In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape deck, snuck into John Lennon's hotel room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview about peace. 38 years later, Jerry has produced a film about it. Using the original interview recording as the soundtrack, director Josh Raskin has woven a visual narrative which tenderly romances Lennon's every word in a cascading flood of multipronged animation. Raskin marries the terrifyingly genius pen work of James Braithwaite with masterful digital illustration by Alex Kurina, resulting in a spell-binding vessel for Lennon's boundless wit, and timeless message.


Thank you Tina (and Prescott) for sharing! Cheers!

If you're unable to view the embedded video above, you can view it on YouTube, here - enjoy!

Recommended Viewing | Father & Son Ironman...

This is a truly incredible, inspirational, and deeply touching story/video, that I just had to share with you all:

A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?'. The father who, despite having a heart condition, says 'Yes'.

They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's request of going through the race together.

One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.' To which, his father said 'Yes' too.

For those who don't know, the Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island. Father and son went on to complete the race together... the video has been embedded below.


If you're unable to view the embedded video, you can also view it here:

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8cf08faca5dd9ea45513

I encourage you to share this truly incredible story with all your friends and family. Thanks to Sensei Diego Beltrán for sharing this incredible story with me. Osu!

Things That Make You Go Hmmm.... (Part 2)

Yesterday evening on the way to the grocery store, I came across another one of these old signs(?)... this time on Bison Drive (just off Waverley). Hmm... now, I'm really curious as to what it's doing there.


Like this other sign I had come across earlier, it could be the remnants of an old sign but, once again how do you explain the different apostrophies? IMO, it definitely qualifies as one of those things that make you go hmmm...

I'd appreciate it if anybody in Winnipeg could shed some light onto these mysterious signs? Any ideas as to who put them up and/or why they're there? Does anybody know if there are more of these signs in Winnipeg? Anybody? Bueller? ;) Cheers!

Recommended Reading | Let the (Logo) Games Begin... via Speak Up

There's a great article/experiment over on Speak Up, where Doug Bartow hires four 'inexpensive' online logo design companies, giving them the same visual identity problem, and critiques the results. It's a must read IMO. Check it out over on Speak Up, here:

http://www.underconsideration.com/speakup/archives/005099.html

Thanks to Jean-Sebastien Dussault for sharing this on the GDC Listserve - cheers!

COOL! 'Word Clouds' via Wordle.net

From the Wordle website:

Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.

...great fun IMO. You can either enter in text yourself or submit a blog/RSS feed for the Java applet to draw from. Visit http://wordle.net/ to learn more, or to make your own "word cloud" - enjoy!

"Word cloud" image created using the Wordle applet and text from Circle's website. You can view the image larger on my Flickr, here - cheers!

WICKED-COOL! Kato Mask...

A couple of hours ago I received a visit at the office from the lovely, Beth Romphf Gillespie, wife of my good friend James (KALAMAFRAZ). Well, aside from stopping in to wish me a Happy Birthday, she came bearing this amazing (unexpected) gift... James and Beth privately commissioned one of Beth's co-workers to custom make me this wicked Kato mask!

For those of you who don't know, Kato was the side-kick of the Green Hornet and was played by none other than the famous Bruce Lee himself! It was a short-lived TV series, but it would go down in history as being one of the pivotal roles in the now famous career of the 'little dragon'.

The mask was hand-made out of leather by, Ryan Roth Bartel, a local artist/designer. You can see more of Ryan's work here and here...


... Evil-doers BEWARE! There's a NEW Kato in town! (j/k).

Now, if only Kato could find his hat, he'd be ready to fight crime... =D Thanks again to Beth, and James (and Ryan), you shouldn't have... but, I love it! Cheers!

Guess Who's 21 (+9 Years of Experience)?

On this day, in 1978 I was brought into this world. Where does the time go? I guess that the saying is true, time flies when you're having fun (this past decade has been a real blur). In light of the occasion, I decided to Google, 'Thirty'... the results of which you can see here (web results) and here (image results). Thanks to all who've sent Birthday wishes... now, To Infinity and Beyond! Cheers!

Image via Amaztype, a neat little Flash application that searches images on Amazon and generates a composite graphic (I've blogged about it here before).

Awareness Test... How Aware are You?

You have no idea how badly you'll actually do until you watch it - link here. I had to watch this twice just to be sure. Via Today's Big Thing - enjoy!