Thursday, February 28, 2013

My reflective blog for this week Feb. 28, 2013


I finished my daily creates and decided to do the one about writing a paragraph story without using a vowel for tdc415, it was tough and turned in a little something that don't make sense because I omitted the letter "u". So, here are my daily creates for last week and this week:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8496943882/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8499567154/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8501922943/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8508771995/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8511935220/in/photostream


I'm still tackling my design safari assignment and looking to finish that sometime tomorrow hopefully. Through it all I'm experiencing personal grief, worry and upset that has nothing to do with assignments or school. My uncle, who had taken ill six weeks ago with pancreatitis and a double case of Pneumonia, is still in the hospital and his condition is extremely bad.

Along with doing the commenting, tagging and reflective blogging about any societal/cultural implications that arise with how I feel my usual assignment follow-ups, and cranking out two tdc's each week, but sometimes enjoy doing more than that,  I feel I must add that my Uncle's condition is the biggest obstacle standing in my way. All I ask for is prayers and will do my best to keep on top of everything in the meantime.  





Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Researching Podcasts- Feb. 20- 26, 2013

Researching the Pod casts Feb. 20, 2013
Revised on Feb. 26, 2013:

What is a podcast?
It is a multimedia digital file made as a download on the Internet for a digital media device or a computer. It takes a lot to make one’s own podcast and without knowing the technical basis of it, there’s plenty of self-help guides, like this fantastic one:


In fact, the how-to-guides were so vast, that I found the one that seemed easy to try.

The history of the podcast dates back to the 1980’s, when it was once known as “audioblogging”. However, podcasting didn’t gain momentum until late 2007 with the iPod according to Wikipedia. Since that time there are now more than 11,000-2,000 podcasts and most can be found on iTune. The technology involved with podcasts is vast, but here are a few of things to get started creating your own podcast:

Audio Recorder & Editor such as Audacity.  MP3 Encoder: LAME or iTunes. Media Player: iTunes or Windows Media Player and File Transfer Software like Smart FTP. 

Are there any special subscriptions or website memberships required?

For a pod bean (basic) subscription it is free.
Advanced $4.95
Professional $9.95
Pro Gold $19.95
Business Level I $69.95
Business Level II $199.95


Let’s see who else has podcasts….

There are some free ones, but getting away from iTunes seems to be difficult for some users. RSS feeds only seems to allow a download of five podcasts, and to use it, the subscriber would have to pay $17. I found the information here:



http://www.podcastalley.com/  If one prefers podcasts that are geared around various topics/music from around the world.


Here are my examples of some successful podcasts from 2012:


And this one, which mentions Call Chelsea Peretti at the number ten spot on Daily Dot.com:


I think podcasting caught on because it was in demand back when the internet was still relatively new for most households as far back as the 90’s. I think that the future of podcasts are like anything else; they’ll continue to be mainstays until something else that’s technologically viable phases out that particular media format like compact discs did to the Long Play (LP) record.

Do I enjoy listening to podcasts already? Yes.

My examples of careers altered by podcasting are:

Kevin Smith, who is a director, screenwriter, actor and podcaster.

Dan Savage, who is a media pundit, author and journalist and podcaster.

And Bill Simmons III, who is an author, sports columnist and podcaster.

How to make your own podcast can be found here:



http://www.buzzsprout.com/  from Buzzsprout.com


And here are my podcasts that I found interesting and not everybody will agree. One of the stations I used to listen to way back when Realplayer was a pain to let re-buffer was Dismuke’s website, which is located here:


Dismuke started out small sometime back in 2007 or so when I discovered them, then expanded their play list later on. However, some Windows missing plug-ins might be required in order to download the music before listening to it on this site. Also, some of the content isn’t free and data plans to apply depending on what mobile device one has according to Loud City.

The late Paul Harvey has some podcasts located here:


However, I remember hearing Paul Harvey on the radio back in the 80’s early in the mornings and he will always remind me of happy times. And here is another:


I’ve loved this late vaudeville comedian Cal Stewart when I first heard him on the Victor 78 way back in the early 90’s. However, back then, he was laughing and reciting a far-fetched tales through the wooden louvers of a Victrola Talking Machine.

http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/cakewalks.php   This site also streams podcasts of early recorded music, of which is the best source I’ve discovered for a huge library of cylinder records on the Internet. I selected this one because it appeals to the specific music that I like to listen to nowadays.











Monday, February 25, 2013

Minimalist Book Covers- 3 1/2 star rating ds 106 Feb. 26, 2013

Minimalist Book Covers - *** 1/2 (3 1/2 star rating)- Feb. 26, 2013

Compilation Album cover and song list. 2 star rating

This is my design for the compilation album cover design assignment on ds 106 ** (2 star rating). I know this is one of the lesser star rating assignments, but couldn't resist adding a touch of long forgotten wax cylinder records and 78's (my hobby).

Why did I write "The Joys of Digital Storytelling" on twenty 2 minute black wax cylinders? And what are cylinders, exactly?

Black wax cylinders (records) were just two minutes long with just enough room for the announcer to say who the artist was and the song title. In these very early days of making records Edison held the market along with others such as Everlasting, Oxford, Columbia, etc. And in order to make a series like that of a lecture, then one would need a lot of cylinder records on hand. Back in the day they even had home-recording equipment designed for these black wax cylinders. To my knowledge, Edison dropped the announcer sometime during 1909/1910. So if there are black wax cylinders that cut right to the song, that explains why. The announcer (I've read thus far) was Len Spencer, who was also a frequent artist on the Edison label. Now for the songs (and some of these I made up). Here's my list of ten:

"You'll Be Back" (You'll Come Back- Stella Mayhews Edison 2 minute black wax cylinder)
"Nobody Told" (Nobody Lied- Marrion Harris)
"Twiddles-two step" (Toodles- one step Lopez and Hamilton's Orchestra)
"The Joy of Digital Storytelling" (Around the World on a Phonograph, 2 minute black wax cylinder, Thomas Edison)
"No! We Have No Homework" (Yes! We Have No Bananas- Billy Murray)
"ds 106 blues" (St. Louis Blues- Al Bernard, Edison Diamond Disc)
"The digital hour" (The Wooing Hour- Edison Diamond Disc)
"Yesterday in the computer lab" (Last Night On The Back Porch I loved her best of all- Fox Trot)
"That's a lot of art, damn it!" (That's a lot of Bunk Fox Trot- Ernest Hare and Billy Jones)
"Jump drive shuffle" (Shuffle Along Medly Fox Trot- Edison Diamond Disc)

Snow day, Monday Feb. 25, 2013

This is just part of the Design Assignments my digital media 1 class is doing for (last week Feb. 20) and this week, if I read my assignment correctly. Since today was a snow day and the campus was closed, I decided to work on more of my Week 6 Design Assignments and have been super busy with the fifteen stars worth of design assignments. Most of them are harder than they appear, others only seem easy at first. I never did figure out how to create an animated comic book using a GIF. The last time I tried to follow GIF instructions on the internet, my computer was stricken with malware as a result. It was the most annoying time I spent with hijacked browers. I finally got that cleared up once the weather improved and was able to get the needed software to tackle that.

Instead of doing two daily creates like ususual, I did more than that, but wanted to wait and do some over the weekend as well before posting my daily creates, so here they are:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8501922943/in/photostream   Feb. 23, 2013

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8499567154/in/photostream Feb. 22, 2013

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8496943882/in/photostream  Feb. 20, 2013

I've also been tagging on the design safari on part of this week 6 ds 106 assignment. However, it took me some time to figure out how to use the document to add in my Twitter handle and upload my flickr photos to the assignment. I listed mine under the "found examples" of color, metaphors/symbols, minimalism/use of space and form/function/message.

And while I was doing my fifteen stars worth of design assignments, I was unknowningly tagging them as "designblitz" instead and thought that these were part of the design safari. I reviewed the other examples submitted by others on the ds 106 website and stayed up late to post a few of my own. Since I'm snowed in I had to rely on stuff in my own environment for the time being and the assignment was confusing me at first. I have not officially turned in this design safari week 6 assignment yet, because I might find more found examples to add to the list. Plus, I'm not sure how many from the list we're supposed to find on the design safari or if its just a few, like four, for example. I've been keeping track of what I've submitted thus far for the design safari.








Friday, February 22, 2013

Minimalist TV/Move Poster- Dr. Who

Here's my minimalist TV/Movie poster for design assignments 43.

Weird Book Room Assignment- Design Assignments ds 106

A cover design of a book that might be found in the weird book room.

Ven Pop Culture Design Assignment 596 Feb. 23, 2013

Here's my Ven Pop Culture design that I did in Adobe Illustrator. I did it kind of fast without paying attention to editing the photos. However, I was amazed that I got the photos to overlap and blend. This is my take on pop culture of three early silent film comparisons: Buster Keaton's "The Garage", 1920, Harold Lloyd's "Get Out and Get Under", 1920, and Eddie Boland's, "Non-Skid Kid", 1922. I decided on this out of the many design assingments on ds 106 because it looked like a lot of fun to create and this for my recent assignment for my digital media 1 class "Design Assignments".



Monday, February 18, 2013

TDC 5 & 6 Feb. 18, 2013

Here are my TDC 5 & 6 for Feb. 18, 2013:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8474142411/ 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8469384843/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8475256512/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8476910941/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8484634058/in/photostream/


Week 4 Feb. 18, 2013

Week 4: Feb. 18, 2013--

I began the week with a hectic pace. Aside from losing my jump drive at the beginning of week, I think I did the best I could and had my assignments backed up on my computer. Here's my media from the week. I was late getting my daily creates out there, but did do a few:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8469384843/

This was supposed to be on Feb. 9, but I didn't do mine until Feb. 13. I was excessively busy this past week and had a meeting to attend, which took a chunk out of my daily creates and getting them cranked out as usual. Then I decided to do a few more daily creates:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8476910941/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8484634058/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8474142411/


How well do I feel I completed the requirements of the week's assignments? I feel I could have done better if I didn't have that meeting that took a chunk out of my time, and lost my jump drive which threw me in a bind. I was graciously loaned one in the meantime, but do miss my original jump drive. I was also relying heavily on a digital recorder so I could re-create my vlog for my Media Fast assignment. Here's the first link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_vJICqDNOM

and the second link (with far better sound pickup from the digital recorder): 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp7lI4AQT-8

Unlike most, I work without a webcam. I later discovered I had a computer mic when I wasn't looking for it. However, the sound quality on my computer is extremely poor and suspect this might have something to do with either a sound card/ drivers or something else altogether different. I will have to work with what's at my disposal for the time being.

Yes, I was slow as a turtle this time to get my comments submitted to the Media Fast classmates posts and do apologize for that as well. Time flew by and so did trying to remember everything else that needed to be turned in before the deadline. I still have five more assignments tonight that need to be tackled and somewhere I need to locate that Buster Keaton article I wrote up years ago as well. Whew!
And...
I have a sink of dirty dishes, plus I'm making home made bread from scratch (again) because I ruined my first batch last night. Somewhere in the hectic pace of my evening, I managed to make "Corn starch Mold", which comes from an antique recipe book I purchased years ago from an antique store. I've tried some of the recipes and found that I liked the Cornstarch Mold the best and The Fairy Fruitcakes as well, of which, the recipe was clipped from an extremely old edition of the Georgia Republican. The Fairy Fruit Cakes are likened to Strawberry Shortcakes, except you make the dough biscuits from scratch and don't use store bought sponge cakes. I suspect the recipe book dates as far back as the 1800's, perhaps. The hand written recipes could be anywhere from that time period as well.  




What gave me most trouble? Not having a good source of sound to accompany my first vlog for the Media Fast post I created. If it weren't for the little digital voice recorder I borrowed, then it would have made my vlog nearly impossible to understand since I have a raspy voice.

What did I enjoy most? Creating the posters. However, I never thought to be creative and add in my blog post web sites to my posters, then re-did them once I noticed the kind suggestion from my instructor, of which, I truly appreciate. Thanks! :)



What did I learn? Never trust your Windows Movie Maker 7 recording to be superior to that of a home theater system. Always have a secondary source like a camcorder, or a digital recording device.

What would I do differently? If I had kept up on my classmates Media Fast responses, I would have answered in timely fashion than I had.

What questions do I have? Those were answered by my instructor through emails.

What are some of the larger issues surrounding my work? Cultural/Societal implications? I can't think of any except life intrudes at some of the most inconvenient times and so does lack of sleep. What really made me embrace the technology was the Media Fast assignment and how much our society depends on communication in print and in cyber space. 

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Vlog response to Media Fast assignment.

I tried to create my first vlog, but don't think it worked out. All I used was my digital camcorder that Wind. Movie Maker doesn't like since I lack a computer microphone and a webcam. So... my intro is completely deleted and all a viewer hears is the tale end of my vlog reflections, of which, my raspy voice hardly picked up on on the playback. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_vJICqDNOM

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Merit-a-badge-daily create assignment

I did an extremely quick Merit-a-badge for a daily create assignment.

Charlie Parker- Black History Month Paper-half page essay

Charlie “Yardbird” Parker was born in Topeka, KS on August 29, 1920. He was an American Jazz musician and saxophonist. He played for Dizzy Gillespie and led his own band in New York. Some of Charlie’s notable songs are: “Scrapple From the Apple”, “Bird of Paradise”, “Chasin the Bird” and many others. I decided to research Charlie Parker for my Black History Month assignment because he was an influential musician and founded “bebop”, which is a form of fast-tempo Jazz, for one. Secondly, he played Jazz, which is just one of many types of music that I like. The imagery I think would help is to incorporate some more of his 78 titles (I incorporated one on my poster draft 2 for this assignment). I feel Charlie Parker was a good choice because, not only was he born in Kansas, he was also unconventional and an intellectual. He also studied classical music and in his early years spent hours practicing the saxophone. Charlie’s recordings were also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and his image appears on a 32 cent 1995 US postage stamp as well. Charlie Parker passed away on March 12, 1955 and was buried in Missouri in Lincoln cemetery.

Black History Month Paper- half page essay, Vaudeville actor George Walker

George Walker was born in 1872/73 in Lawrence, KS. During his career as a vaudeville actor, he popularized “the Cakewalk” dance with his stage partner, Bert Williams, who he met in San Francisco. Together they had a successful stage career, incorporating elaborate costumes and stage set designs. I researched George Walker for my Black History Month assignment because not much is known about this vaudeville actor, for one. Secondly, I felt Walker’s contributions to vaudeville (during a time when unknowns later went on to find fame in early Hollywood), is vastly forgotten nowadays. Third, I have a love for all things vaudeville and reading up about the bygone medium that was in vogue from the 1890’s-1930s. My research took me to Wikipedia and it seemed to be the only place I could find any information on this unknown vaudeville actor. Google’s search results brought me nothing but frustration and I had to wade through pages dedicated to George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States. However, I carried on with determination to find as much information that I could about George Walker. He didn’t live very long and passed away in 1911. Thus could be why I didn’t find out much about him. Some of Walker and William’s stage plays include: The Gold Bug (1895), Clorindy (1897), The Policy Player (1899), Sons of Ham (1900), Abyssinia (1906) and others. George Walker was married to dancer and choreographer, Ada Overton Walker, who later passed away in 1914. The imagery I would have liked to include would have been their stage performances of the aforementioned plays, like playbills from that time period, for example. Yet, I realize finding such material even on the internet would be a like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Black History Month Paper- Hattie McDaniel half page essay

Out of the twelve subjects I researched for Kansas Black History, I chose actress Hattie McDaniel. She was born to slaves in Wichita, KS on June 10, 1895. Out of thirteen children, she was the youngest. Her father fought in the civil war and her mother was a singer of religious music. Hattie moved to Denver, Colorado, where she graduated from Denver East High school. In 1920 she received her next big break and toured with Professor George Morrison’s Melody Hounds. By 1925 she entered radio and sung on station KOA in Denver and recorded songs for Okeh and Paramount 78 record labels during the mid-late twenties. The imagery I used for my second draft poster was a sepia-toned photo, a color-tinted photo in her role as “Mammy” from Gone With the Wind and found an image of her song, “I thought I’d Do It” on Okeh and incorporated this imagery into my second poster design. I also felt that her musical talent went unrecognized nowadays and wanted to reflect on it as well. Her musical career displayed many different facets of this fascinating actress and songwriter, of which, gave me a better understanding about her career in early radio when it was still in its infancy period throughout the Twenties. Not only was she dynamic as a radio personality, but also very popular. Despite this, however, she still worked as a maid because her wages were low. Later in her career she was involved with radio and TV and became the first African-American to star in her own comedy series, Beulah.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Media Fast- Sunday Feb. 10, 2013

Reflections of my media fast: The assignment was tough when I listened to my instructor run down the prohibited media on the list (and threw in a few) that weren't on there as well. It sounded simple enough; drop all forms of technologically advanced forms of media like texting, internet surfing, computer, email, cell calls. However, I was surprised to learn that old media including books, newspapers, magazines, TV, Atari games, and antique media including Victrola and all things that had to do with an Edison phonograph were included as well on the prohibited list. I had grown partially accustomed doing without years prior. However, going through a twenty-four hour music withdrawal came with a myriad of emotions. Therefore, instead of sitting down with a pen and paper, I jotted everything down in a small notebook using a fountain pen and an inkwell. I've been writing with a fountain pen for quite some time and it does take some practice to get used to versus the standard pens. I began my media fast at 1:45 a.m. on Sunday and didn't end my fast until 8 o'clock or so, when I took a call. Here's my long journal entry: Feb. 10, 2013- (Sat. going into Sun.) 1:45 a.m., page 1: "I simply couldn't get the Oliver 1914 typewriter to work. The ribbon snapped due to age. The backup, an Underwood typewriter 1905 is a little worse for wear as well. Therefore, the fountain pen and inkwell are my unique standbys for this extra special assignment, of which, will be the toughest assignment I had to do. Rarely am I ever seen without my MP3 player or even a pair of my favorite headphones. It was about 1:45 a.m. and I've decided to start my media fast for the next twenty-four hours. Page 2: Even before I began, I sweated, seated there in class, listening to the instructor go over the the list of prohibited media-- But I had lived life in similar fashion for nine years just about. However, the stipulation of this assignment was very unique-- no Victrola, Edison phonograph, CD's, MP3 player, TV-- No silent films, Buster Keaton, and-- no Charlie Chaplin. :( Long before the assignment began my day was stressful. I felt depressed when I heard the "no Victrola" and "no Edison", either in class. For myself, these were-- and still remain positive influences in my life. Page 3: The music, although very much before my time, was still intriguing to me when I first heard it years ago when I was just thirteen. And it will always remind me of my late great grandmother. This assignment will be a lot harder than I originally thought. I can forgo the common luxuries like TV (if cable), but do watch my Dvd's once-a-month or so. I seldom listen to the radio because all of the good stuff is gone-- including the D.J.'s. I'm keeping my journal as true to original form as possible. I hear nothing but the dryer and the heater kicking on. And the key wind clock ticking softly. Page 4: I might turn in soon. Besides, I've been up since 8:30 a.m. My grandparents stopped by early and gave me my uncle's stereo. The phonograph will need a cartridge magnetic moving stylus to operate. And then require audio cords to hook up in back. However, I'm happy with it. In fact, I'm tickled pink that it powers up when plugged in. I was told before hand the stereo was ruined. Gladly though, I accepted it "As-Is". This day turned out to be productive. I did some major closet cleaning. And dumped one bag of clutter, mostly paper and odds and ends. I've been known to be a pack rat. However, I do throw stuff out when I can't find a use for it. Page 5: I suppose I'll write my grandparents and uncle a thank you card now. I will keep updates of any music withdrawals. I also keep in contact through snail mail. My grandparents don't have a computer." Page 6, 8:20 pm, Sunday evening: I mainly got caught up on my sleep. I didn't have my fan turned on, either. I woke up at little after 2 pm. The winds were blowing in gusts. I didn't step outside until after 4 pm to take out the trash. It was sharply cold out. I fed my outdoor cat, then went in and got caught up on the rest of the house work. Boring stuff like laundry, dishes (I don't have an automatic dishwasher), and made the "Apricot Bake Thing", which is pie crust with Apricot pie filling cut into squares and sprinkled with sugar. Didn't notice too many withdrawal symptoms without media or music. However, the temptation was there to pop in a movie and watch it once I finished with my house work. But, I didn't. Page 7: I don't think I did too badly. I guess I fell off the wagon tonight to take a call from my mom. I have a busy day tomorrow. Therefore, I will retire early tonight."

sound effects. Feb. 11, 2013

Sound effects. Feb. 11, 2013. My instructor allowed me to borrow a small, sleek digital recorder over the weekend, and once I figured out how to record on it, I had a lot of fun with it. I gingerly packed the small recorder on my person, made my daily rounds and evening routine as well from my environment. The reason why I selected my sound effects from pull string dolls, crier composition dolls and everything else was so I could encompass just a fraction of sound. The process used for these sounds was simple and used a hand-held digital voice recorder. It was awesome! Going up the stairs with a slight creak at near the end. Going down the stairs. footsteps and a door opening. thunderstorm and rain https://soundcloud.com/emil-tron/rain-feb-7-2013 Rain https://soundcloud.com/emil-tron/typing-on-the-1905-underwood Typewriter Chatty baby https://soundcloud.com/emil-tron/im-hungry-tiny-chatty-baby1962 Chatty baby https://soundcloud.com/emil-tron/winding-of-the-hall-clock-feb Hall clock https://soundcloud.com/emil-tron/youre-nice-tiny-chatty Chatty baby https://soundcloud.com/emil-tron/water-running Water Running https://soundcloud.com/emil-tron/making-a-rotary-call-on Rotary telephone dial https://soundcloud.com/emil-tron/door-closing Door closing https://soundcloud.com/emil-tron/crier-compo-doll-2-pre1920 Composition doll 2 https://soundcloud.com/emil-tron/crier-compo-doll-1-pre1920 Composition doll 1 https://soundcloud.com/emil-tron/cat-and-wind-chimes-effect-feb Cat and wind chimes https://soundcloud.com/emil-tron/olympus-and-edison-movie-feb-4 Phonograph-mechanical (non-electric)

Friday, February 8, 2013

Write a poem on Twitter and tweet it out at 11 AM on Feb. 8th

I don't see the Daily Creates until well after 7 pm. Needless to say that this daily create didn't make it on Twitter at all, much less at 11 AM. I have to gather my stuff and head out the door. Therefore, I created something off the top of my head. Nothing special or unique. Missed the boat Forgot the Daily Create Don't check my email 'til very late Don't know the tags Seldom Tweet Can't go back to think This really isn't a poem Oh, well *shrugs* antique_mystique

Week 3 Assignment- Feb. 8, 2013

I began my week doing several daily creates before Monday rolled around: http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8443750500/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8451409923/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiquemystique/8451409923/ I reflect back on my assignment for my Black History Month poster drafts 1. I fussed and tried to figure out what I was doing wrong when I tried to upload my posters in PDF format to Wordpress dot com. Alas, they wouldn't load as PDF's no matter how hard I tried and re-tried. Not only did this present me with the most trouble, but it was overwhelming. I finally uploaded my poster drafts as Jpeg's just as a placeholder until I can figure out this whole PDF/Wordpress dot com dilemma. I feel I completed the assignments to the best of my knowledge, and admit I worried that I wouldn't make the deadline for the analog/digital sound wave assignment and all that I learned in class about it. What I enjoyed most was the digital voice recorder. This was my first time to see one in person, and once I learned how to operate it (not everybody will know how to use one of these), I had fun. I tried an experiment and captured a good recording from a hand crank phonograph: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUVg0ZuisIQ However, the sound begins before I disengaged the automatic brake lever on the phonograph. How this phenomenon occurred is still an enigma to me, but none the less I'm no recording expert, either. From there I wasted no time compiling my Soundcloud library of sound effects (still in the works, link will be added soon). I didn't want it to come up with just thirteen sound effects in my library. Therefore, I requested a time extension so I can capture more sounds. What did I learn this week? Wordpress dot com is a pain. What I would do differently? Give me some time to think on that. As far as questions, I emailed my instructor about those. What are the larger issues surrounding my work? Figuring out how to create a small text in note pad to include with my sound effects assignment.Cultural/ societal implications? I ran out of creativity.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Blog- Black History Month- EB

Originally, this assignment required just a list of ten, but I went the extra mile and compiled my research of twelve instead and didn't turn in until after 4:30 am the next morning. Anyway, that's getting off the blog subject. I narrowed my selection down to just three off my list and decided to go with two lesser unknowns even though they were all born in Kansas.
1. Actress Hattie McDaniel. I selected her because, not only was she the first African-American to win an Academy Award, but also was the first to sing on the radio. Aside from her many films, she was also a songwriter and recorded her songs on Okeh and Paramount records during the mid-late 1920's.
2. Vaudeville Actor, George Walker. He was born in Lawrence, KS. George and his stage partner, Bert Williams popularized the Cakewalk dance, which caught on in high society in New York and elsewhere. First, I selected George Walker because he was straight from Vaudeville. Secondly, because he popularized a long forgotten old time dance the Cakewalk. And third, I've been fascinated with Vaudeville (in general) and bygone dance crazes for quite some time. Until I discovered this unknown Vaudeville actor, I latched onto the erroneous impression that Vernon and Irene Castle invented the "Cakewalk" dance.
3. Jazz Musician Charlie Parker from Kansas City, KS. First, I chose him because, not only was Charlie Parker a highly influential Jazz soloist, but also a founder in the development of bebop, of which is a fast-paced tempo. Secondly, he played the style of music I later gravitated to which is Jazz. Third, he combined his diverse playing style with blues, Latin and classical elements.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Best Assignment- Slide Guy

I actually liked "Slide Guy" the best even though I found it on a random search on ds106. I thought it was the best assignment because it kept me up into the wee hours creating it. (Yes, I love to work slow-paced in Photoshop). I went onto Flickr and selected a photo under their commons section, then carefully cropped "Slide Guy's" image and put it on the photo and posted it to my blog. I did the assignment because it looked like fun, that's all. 

Greetings From DS106

Greetings from DS106 assignment.


Create a acrostic poem that includes item of clothing that you're currently wearing- pink fuzzy slippers.

Pretty on my feet.
Instant heat
Neat, nice and slim
Klutz on the floor
Fun, slipping and sliding
Uhn? (lost my train of thought-- hah!)
Zippity-do-dah
Zippity-yay
Year around comfort
Soft and supple
Left at the foot of the bed each night
Insomniac relief
Petal soft
Puffy and light
Escape for my feet
Restful retreat
Soaking up the heat

I never wrote an acrostic poem before. I think I was treating this as a haiku poem. It was difficult even after I tried the tutorial from ds106's link.

Monday, February 4, 2013

How To: Photoshop Magic Lasso

How To: Photoshop Magic Lasso This is an awesome tutorial from a ds106'er. If folks find themselves stuck in Photoshop, this guy's tutorial is worth checking out. Also, it helps if one takes notes in a notebook. :)

Olympus and Edison movie Feb 4 2013

Slide guy sits in on class.

Okay, this is my *first* try using photoshop CS6. When I noticed the assignment for Slide guy, I had to give it a try. So, here it is... Slide Guy sits in on class. This is a free commons photo I found on Flickr. Enjoy!


Saturday, February 2, 2013

mouse destroyed

mouse destroyed by antiquemystique
mouse destroyed, a photo by antiquemystique on Flickr.

tdc391, dailycreate, mouse destroyed.

Blog first, draw second.

I'm dedicated none the less and drawing has been on my mind as of late, but I've only cranked out two pages whereas I used to draw ten or twelve pages in a single day. I haven't even created an "Eddie" drawing in quite some time now. He's an ionic figure that's been a familiar staple since my teen years. And no-- I don't mean "Edward" from the Twilight series, either. That was way after my time, anyway. I mean "Eddie" from Iron Maiden-- err, let me just post one of my earlier works from 1994.



Originally, I started out drawing Eddie freehand and he cropped up on a pair of jeans and then, a jean jacket. Eddie is a difficult subject to draw, but made an easy transition later on. In fact, during the span of Iron Maiden's musical career, their mascot, "Eddie" was an ever-evolving figure. He appeared on their first self-titled album;

then on their second album, "Killers" , 1982:

Then Eddie confronted the likes of the devil on the front cover of their "Number of the Beast" album.

It was awesome and Eddie was a larger-than-life depiction. What drew me to Iron Maiden was their mascot "Eddie", for one. Secondly, their style of heavy metal music that was very power-driven with heavy guitar and bass riffs and octave vocals from front man, Bruce Dickinson. I heard of original front man, Paul Di'anno and watched him in a video-- I'd like to say it was from "The Rock Palace", but know that might be the incorrect venue where the live performance was shot, and immediately put Iron Maiden high on my LP priority list back in 1992. I turned up their second album on LP, yet their first album is almost obscure to find on LP.

My Eddie artwork spans several notebooks and most of my artwork is stored away. Until I got my Blogger account, I never ever scanned anything that I personally drew simply because some of my artwork I want to remain private.