heather lam

Design Happy

2012-01-23T12:05:00.000-08:00

"...design as a value adding process, is potently positioned to contribute to delivering positive emotion resulting in happiness and greater well-being."

(Design Happy - The Guidelines, Parmar 2007)

Taking things apart

2011-10-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

Thermoelectric Boots!

2011-03-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

Voted as one of Time Magazine's Top 50 Inventions of 2010, these rubber boots capture the heat from your feet and turn it into power that can re-charge your phone!

I probably wouldn't want to strap my phone to the outside of my boots in the rain, but at least it'll be charged! (albeit wet)

More information behind the thermoelectric wellies via Ecouterre and Orange.

Interactive Window Display

2011-02-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

Interactive Display Window Concept from Gustaf Engström on Vimeo.

Interactive Window Concept made for the module Advanced Interface Design at Hyper Island hosted by North Kingdom.

Made by:
Beatriz Areilza bareilza.com
Gustaf Engström gustafengstrom.se
Juliana Oliveira Silva cargocollective.com/julianasilva
Lucas Lima luklima.com
Marcus Wallander lorem-ipsum.se

Coach during the project: Thomas Larsson at B-Reel (Stockholm)

Music: Bonobo - Kiara

Shot with a RED ONE camera at 120fps in december 2010.
Camera provided by: Ljud & Bildmedia, ljud-bildmedia.se
Green screen: Pump Station Studio, pumpstation.se

Dan Rossiter

2011-01-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

I'm really enjoying Dan Rossiter's retail and exhibition portfolio, especially this Nike/Hurley/Converse booth, and especially that nylon-strapped log plinth.

music and balls

2011-01-14T19:28:00.000-08:00

It's Friday...again! Wow, this week flew by.

Make sure you check out the "Making of" video of the Sony, it's bouncy ball goodness!

Listen to the slug.

2011-01-12T19:28:00.000-08:00

Smiley Slug wants you to smile

Friday!!!

2011-01-07T13:22:00.001-08:00

I can't find my phone

2010-10-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

I CAN'T find my PHONE - by Dave Dawson

So simple. So useful.

Trophy Head

2010-10-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

I've recently had an infatuation with plastic animal figurines. Shortly after completing the Henrietta album cover concept, I came across Steph Mantis' Pack Rack - so cool! Now that I have a couple dozen white animal figurines on hand from the album photoshoot, this gives me a few ideas as to what to do with them. (Side note: I think Steph should make an animal derriere version of the pack rack! From plastic snout to plastic tail, even animal figurines can be used with minimal waste.)

Catching up

2010-09-09T18:28:00.000-07:00

So I'm thinking of starting a new blog. Until I get that one going, here is a bit of catch up from my life, as shown through a roll of film that was sitting in my camera since January and finally finished and developed last month. It's sort of like a montage, as you will.

Montage begin!

Montage over!

Freezelight Magic Forest

2010-02-01T07:01:00.000-08:00

It's only February and we probably have at least another two months of Canadian winter left....booooooooooooo. Excuse me while I escape into the magic forest for a bit.

Freezelight Magic Forest from FREEZELIGHT.RU on Vimeo.

x-mas catch-up v1

2010-01-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

For Scott's Christmas present this year, I took a sheet of Helvetica letter transfer that I've been saving since my first year of university and scratched, and scratched, and scratched the whole sheet onto a piece of glass, rearranging the alphabet to put S+H together [insert cheesy pick-up line here].

"wing-it"

2009-12-19T15:37:00.000-08:00

I try to read. I don't get as much reading in as I would like, but I came across this quote that I really enjoyed and wanted to share.

"I also believe that creativity is life's insurance, because if you instill creativity even in the smallest children, they will have no fear, because they can improvise. ...Creativity is not about a nice interior or a nice wardrobe, or a sense of design. It's about a very subtle way to think and to realize, if this doesn't work, then I can solve things in another way; confidence and flexibility."

- Li Edelkoort
from Home, 50 Tastemakers Describe What It is, Where It Is, What It Means

I'll take "Things You Put on Your Cat's Feet", Alex for $400

2009-12-15T18:54:00.000-08:00

stripes

2009-12-03T19:40:00.000-08:00

too many?

- Sagmeister, Inc.

Moleskin Snobs

2009-10-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

MOLESKIN SNOBS
a new source of inspiration and visual glory

Fantaisie in Bubblewrap {with espanol subtitles)

2009-10-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

"Oh, that does not feel right.....
my face was....
not made for this....."

Fantaisie in Bubblewrap, by Jesse Metcalf

+

BubbleType, by Canhur Aktuglu

via typographyserved.com

Copenhagen Chic-esque

2009-09-26T17:20:00.001-07:00

KEEP CALM

2009-08-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

What was once a part of British war propaganda, now a part of interior decor and curry advertisements.

Over-use?
Mis-use?
or Awesome-use?

"ORIGINAL"

Toronto Life Magazine, September 2009 issue

Found on Queen Street

Worst culprit?

MADE IN QUEENS

2009-08-27T13:26:00.001-07:00

MADE IN QUEENS - OFFICIAL FILM TRAILER

A great discovery at the Toronto Bicycle Film Festival over the weekend.

note to China from China

2009-08-18T16:14:00.001-07:00

"WEAR SAFETY GOGGLES, CHINA"

A little memo found on hammer.
Unfortunately the memo never reached this guy:

Taken last July in a factory in Shenzhen, China.

what happen?

2009-07-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

SUNDAY:

Squiggle lines in space @ Harbourfront

Lucha Libre @ Harbourfront Centre

WEDNESDAY:

Frightened Rabbit @ Horseshoe Tavern

FRIDAY :

Dress Like a Rapist House Warming Party

tubular-tastic

2009-07-18T12:38:00.001-07:00

vacuum tubes [Active Surplus] + ribba frame [Ikea]

une bicyclette jeune!

2009-07-12T08:50:00.003-07:00

Born again Shemale

I finally finished[!] painting my bike (also known as Shemale, a term of endearment) last weekend after three weeks and four cans of primer and paint later.

Some man in a white truck told me to, quote, "Get a fucking car!" near Bathurst and Bloor. Unfortunately I didn't make out what he said until 3 seconds too late for a good come back. Ignorance and late well-deserved come-backs make me bitter (still).

Weekend Goal

2009-07-03T19:23:00.001-07:00

Build bathroom/hallway unit.

baaaaaaaaaaack!

2009-06-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

After a long distraction, here is an enthusiastic list of some new things:

New place!
Stray cat in the house!
Yuppie town, me!
Summer!
Bandsaw and drill press!
Garden and BBQ!
Mojitos with green lemons!
Alien green onions!
Garbage strike!
Shemale is born again!
Exploring Korea Town! Amish bread!

Now you're all caught up!

mouldy Vancouger

2009-05-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

Attempt at moulding a branch....the plaster was too thick and bubbly

I spent the past week in Vancouver doing very Vancouger-like things. I learned (sort of) how to drive standard (without burning the clutch this time!), used a pottery-wheel for the first time, did some CSI-excavating and helped pull a deer's skull out of the bush, ate a raw oyster, drank some Granville Island beer, explored Stanley Park, and played with some plaster.

Stanley Park

Worn out bench at the bus station.

I need more walls

2009-04-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Hand printed trompe l'oeil wallpapers by Deborah Bowness

I want to go there:

2009-04-16T19:08:00.001-07:00

Place of interest one: WAX Partnership
(This place reminds of that time the press was spinning stories about David Bowie being stalked by a giant pink rabbit)

Place of Interest two: Atelierdorp
Collaboration heaven, albeit probably through clouds of toxic resin fumes. What could be better than nightly dinner parties and 18hour model making days? I want to go there.
via Core77

the end of: too much time on my hands?

2009-04-14T17:11:00.000-07:00

Click for vid.

I was sitting on the subway today on my way home when this song started playing on my headphones. As I sat there during rush hour, I couldn't help but think what the video for this song looked like, and lo and behold, it was exactly how I imagined it would be (especially the special effect motion-trailing during the intro....amazing!)

Ch-ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

2009-04-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

Click for link to video. [by Lorcan Finnegan]

Spring is almost here, although you can barely tell through the freezing wind, sleet, and snow. Hopefully this video will make the rest of your cold, dark, wintery week a little more colourful.

{cue "Changes" by David Bowie now}

Lady Chair

2009-04-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

I was planning on adding this project to my portfolio, but that may take a few more days as I wrangle with Photoshop to put someone sitting in the chair for scale and context. In any case, after Solidworks crashed on me about 18 times in two days (no wonder I left this chair unfinished for 5 months), I figured I might as well preview it here first before I get distracted by other things (like b-day, interview, apartment hunting, new job, and the design collective)

"Feminine movement, gesture, and posture must exhibit not only constriction, but grace as well, and a certain eroticism restrained by modesty: all three."
(p. 68, Femininity and Domination, Sandra Lee Bartky)

The Lady is an observation and socially-driven chair design. The design is constrained and inspired by the way in which women sit and how they became to sit by the social conventions of femininity. Lipstick rouge-stained oak with a laser-cut baroque pattern, the Lady takes up a small footprint and becomes an extension of the lady sitting in it. Whereas women tend to sit more forward in their seats, the Lady has a considerably more shallow seat, encouraging this sitting tendency while diminishing space footprint.

In other words, basically I had this idea for a chair after I noticed how whenever I sat (and most other women), I was only occupying about 6 inches of the edge of my seat, while the back 8 or so inches were left un-sat. Since I am easily absorbed/distracted by what is in front of me, in most scenarios, most of my chair is left jutting out behind me while I perch on the edge. By cutting down the seat depth (from an average seat depth of ~16" down to 7") , the sensation of sitting on the edge is still there, while a more "lady-like" posture is encouraged due to the lack of slouching space.

My mom would be proud that her insistent reminders about sitting up right during my childhood actually did sink in.

the Weakerthans

2009-04-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

the Constantines

Two point five Weakerthans

One Weakerthan

The greatest thing about purchasing tickets when they first become available is that after three months, you virtually forget about the show up until the afternoon of and then it becomes a wonderful surprise when you suddenly have a concert to go to that night!

YTO: cut&paste

2009-03-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

15 minute rounds of pure short-key brawn. You got your CMD+C, then of course CMD+V. Mistake? Quick, CMD+Z! Now with a bit of CMD+A, C, CMD+D, B, SPACEBAR, Z, ALT-CLICK, and before you know it, the round is over. Cut&Paste spent its first time in Canada at the Sound Academy on Saturday night. Not seeing too much press around town and feeling an overwhelming responsibility to "represent", I rounded up a small group of ID'rs to hit up this first-ever event in the land of tundra.

For those unfamiliar with Cut&Paste, C&P is an international competition where 2-D, 3-D and motion graphic designers compete against each other in a series of timed rounds, cheered on by large audience, pumped by the sounds of a live DJ, and of course, a full bar. Participants are limited to a bag of props that they may or may not have packed that day and photographs that were taken that day during the event. The prizes included Adobe software, Wacom-products, Pantone colour guides, and similar design-related miscellaneous loot (which seemed somewhat minor since most of the people competing probably own half of the prizes already). The main prize of the competition though, was bragging rights and a trip to compete in the international finale at NYC in June.

Standing a little tired and shaky after a impromptu night trip to Ottawa, I was witness to three hours of pure visual pornography and chaos. I saw defrosted bacon, ketchup, and fish, flinging about their juices alongside a row of 21" Cintiqs (*droooool...for the tablet, not the food). I saw defeat and conquer. I saw embarrassing hasty typos ("Never enogh"), I saw nervous competitors sit helplessly as their renderings appeared pixel by pixel with 1.38 minutes to render, but only 8 seconds left in the round. I saw Apple iLife ads pop-up when participants were uploading their photos to iPhoto, and watched their confused faces as they, in dispair, tried to close the Apple trial-ads in pure haste. I saw 2D vomit, and saw what looked like 3D vomit on the huge projection screens.

All in all, the Cut&Paste competition, for the first time in TO, was pretty good. The announcers were....okay, is WACOM pronounced WAAH-COM, or WAY-COM? Maybe WAY-COM is a Canadian thing? Strangely, all the competitors were all male, so next year my goal is to compete in the 2D section. Excuse for a Cintiq purchase? Most definitely.

NOTE TO READERS: My birthday is coming up this weekend......if you happen to have Cintiq laying around?

major apartment renovation and celebration

2009-03-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

Never thought that it would be possible for a less than 300 square foot apartment, but I spent the weekend installing a dance floor. It's a dance-off, everybody!

I also made muffins to celebrate the new installation and to fuel the dancing.
Carrot, coconut, and apple-deliciousness.

photo i say

2009-03-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

A photo essay of items around/laying around the apt.

zoologic

2009-03-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

Click vid for link.

Really nice animation and simple sketch/ink work in this video. Also, flamingos and penguins, which complete the equation for a wonderful video to watch while you're at work and I am...still not really (ha ha).

teaser

2009-03-18T08:08:00.000-07:00

coming soon!

marking your territory

2009-03-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

From No One You Know

Fun bedsheets hailing from Australia! Available in reverse configuration (for those that sleep on the other side of the bed) and in miscellaneous configurations.

I want one where there's an outline of a cat (or dog) hogging half the bed, causing the girl + boy to squish to one side of the bed. Ooooh, a silkscreening project coming up, perhaps?

I CALLED the ULTRA-WIIIIIDE!

2009-03-16T07:21:00.001-07:00

Going through my early morning ritual of blog-news, I came across something new and upcoming that made my jaw drop on Engadget.

That looks familiar.....

Lenovo is introducing a new UMPC called the Pocket Yoga. Looking uncannily similar to my thesis project from last year, the Pocket Yoga is a pocket-internet device with touch screen capabilities, covered in a leather (faux?) casing.

ADA appearance model.

Ultra-wiiiiiiiide! I so called it in 2008. Who knew?

"Fit for the Pit"

2009-03-15T16:28:00.000-07:00

Three inferior items that I came across in the last week:

Canadian Tire Eames Lounger @ Yonge and Dundas

Canadian Tire now sells the Barcelona chair and the Eames Lounger. A sales associate asked me if I were a "hardcore gamer" as he pretended he had an invisible remote inbetween his hands. Apparently a lot of people were purchasing the Lounger for gaming because it had a good lean back. Sorry Eames and Mies.......so so sorry.

Up close these chairs were really, really, poor quality reproductions. The bent plywood was chipped everywhere on the Eames, and the "leather" piping was everywhere except where it was supposed to meet on the Barcelona chair.

I heard a rumour that the Maple Leafs emblazoned Eames chair are to arrive in the store next week. (kidding, but if it does happen, I called it first!)

Another Canadian Tire find: a 10-cup Stainless Steel Coffee Maker with.....CONCEALED HIGH-TECH CONTROLS.
Who knew that concealed controls were a selling point for coffee makers?

And finally the best for last.....for the martini lover that is either far too busy, or far too inebriated to bother wasting calories/time shaking and stirring:

For a low, low price of $75.99 (or just three low easy payments of $25.33), you can be the proud owner of this beautiful 20oz electric martini shaker!

Seriously, who would buy this? Whose idea was it to put this thing to market? And how many martinis would one have to drink in a day to warrant "martini-elbow" to justify this item?
Remember the PIT in Street Cents back on CBC back in the 90's? The Electric Martini Shaker is clearly fit for the PIT.

Poster Girl

2009-03-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

Modern Toilet - "Un restaurant peu conventionnel"

So I was going through some of my flickr stats, and I randomly came across a French blog that posted one of my photos from a poo and toilet themed restaurant in Hong Kong over the summer. Slightly embarrassing as I'm giving the thumbs up as I drink what looks like green sludge from a ceramic urinal..... yet slightly hilarious at the same time. I imagine I feel like what a cat feels like when they are caught with their paws in the toilet. I digress....

NEW WEBSITE LAUNCH

2009-03-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

I did it! I finally hacked my way through Dreamweaver and learned a bit of html (or just enough html?) to create a new site. This time around, I've tried to keep the layout to a minimum and I want to focus more on the content with more updates (coming soon).

Anyone pro or anyone con the new site?
(Besides my brother who is clearly "con" site)

Sumobots + A Lack of Dancing

2009-03-08T04:51:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, the 2009 Sumobot Competish went down at OCAD. Amazing! There is something weirdly exhilarating and nerdy about cheering on burning-smelling, 5/8" galvanized steel contraptions push each other out of a circle surface area.

I noticed a few things during the 3.5 hour competition:

1. The underdog-bots were always the crowd favourite. There were certain robots that were actually pretty well-designed and hardy, but for some reason the more nice welds a robot had, the more villian-like they became to the audience. In fact, so villianous, that the ref had to request that the audience stop throwing debris at "E is for Epsilon" bot (even though he deserved it).

2. The heavier the Sumobot, the more sumo-force. I guess this applies in real life sumo-wrestling, but its a factor that is also helpful in bot-life (although fast maneuveurability and strategy is also helpful.)

3. TRACTION! So many bots had trouble with traction on the plywood ring, they had the heart and the lube, but just not enough traction!

4. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX! Many of the robots were either one of two forms : a cheese-wedge form or a cube on wheels. Although both forms have their sumobot-ing advantages (where a wedge form was good for getting under the opponent's wheels and pushing them out, and a cube was good for brute force and hiding wheels against the wedge), it would have been nice to see more interesting forms that counter-acted these popular sumobot forms. (Although I do enjoy how the cube is basically a sumo-bot in its purest essence.)
..
5. Carnage is a crowd-yes. There was only one sumobot last weekend that had the right guts/gears/idea to cause damage to their opponent. Especially 'tastic when the opponent was a huge hundred-something pound wooden wedge by the name of "Splinter". Splinter indeed....

Unfortunately, no one submitted an entry for the Dancing Bot competition. If we had known, we surely would have brought Mr. Roboto along for the trip.

Next year, there will be dancing!

Chinatown finding alert!

2009-03-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

$1.29 Thai Red Bull!
(slightly expired, yet still tasty)

I will post an update if it gives me a stomach ache later.

UPDATE: No tummy aches and still have my vision....!

CHIMO!

2009-02-16T07:56:00.000-08:00

This is an Ookpik.

Chimo!

A few weeks ago I came across Cheers for Canada! - a plea for a truly unique Canadian word for "cheers!" As a self-proclaimed and perhaps sometimes apparent sommelier, I immediately and excitedly submitted the word "CHIMO".

I first stumbled upon "chimo" through Douglas Coupland's Souvenir of Canada. A super nostalgic, feel-good to be Canadian movie on all things that make us humble Canadians.

So what makes the Inuktittuk word "chimo" the perfect Canadian cheers? For one, "chimo" has history. For a period of about three months "...in the 1970s with the Olympics and Expo, draft-dodgers, Trudeau, bilingual cereal boxes and kicking Soviet hockey ass, Canada-mania reached new, dizzying heights. We were hot hot hot, and we needed a word that was cool. A Canadian word. And that word was "chimo."

- Tokyo Tint

"Chimo!" is fun to say (it's damn catchy and forces your facial muscles into a smile) and has a myriad of uses. Besides being used for cheers-ing, it is a Tundra greeting and can be easily integrated into everyday conversation (par example: "Man, that girl is so chimo, I'd like to score her digits.").

Vote for the new Cheers for Canada soon!

Chimo!

Post No Bills

2009-02-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

Those clever bastards...

I walked by this image everyday for about two weeks before I finally got what it was. Turns out that the "what" was in fact really funny and I (really really) hate to say this, but I really did "LOL" on the sidewalk when I figured it out.

Bare Chest Hair Bear Two + Updates

2009-02-02T08:16:00.000-08:00

New item up for sale on robotink.etsy! Check it out!

Also, currently in the midst of laying out a new website that will integrate and/or link to more things than just a portfolio of my work. Ideally, I'd like to include more recent updates and merge photos + new independent projects + blog-stuff into one. Step one: design layout (almost check). Step two: learn html....... Step three: Spreading the word? werd.

Cuff the Duke + Castle Music, CBC Radio 3

On Saturday I was treated to a nice free show by Cuff the Duke at the Toronto Harbourfront. All I can say is "amazing!". Hosted by CBC Radio 3 and Sirius Satellite Radio, there was a surprisingly low turnout, which was kind of awkward like my first grade eight dance at first, but made it better for a more intimate show. Luckily the show was inside and I bundled up in 20 layers for no reason as I was anticipating an outdoor show in -10 plus weather. Pics from CBC Radio 3's flickr here. (I can be half-spotted in this one)

Sandberg Institute

2009-02-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

Simple yet mesmerizing.

TOP GEAR words of wisdom applied to design.

2009-01-27T20:58:00.001-08:00

"It's an ingenious solution to a problem that never should have existed in the first place."

- James May

sunshine pleeeease

2009-01-16T15:15:00.001-08:00

need sunshine. need to bicyclette soooon.

bare chest hair bear - one

2009-01-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

gesso + india ink

1HOURDESIGNCHALLENGE

2009-01-09T11:48:00.001-08:00

_LASER_CUT+GRIP_TAPE!

Clear grip tape concept: I have a triangle fetish from my Ada-thesis days...

What your grandmother rides to the corner store to pick up a pack of Belmonts...

Participating in my first 1-Hour Design Challenge, I submitted two entries yesterday and today for funsies. The comp runs until the 28th of January, meaning lots of time for entries in the next few weeks to come. I can't longboard/skateboard if my life depended on it, in fact, I think my life depends on the fact that I don't get on a board on wheels, but it'll be cool to win one to put up on the wall?

two oh oh nine.

2009-01-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

"so this is the new year, and I don't feel any different....."

- Ben Gibbard, Deathcab for Cutie

New sketches done a week or so ago. Bare chest hair bears may be a new series in 2009...I'm excited to draw more, but for some reason I have trouble visualizing these chest hair bears unless I've had a drink or two....I think they're state-dependent. That sounds kind of bad, but hey, isn't most great art created under the influence? I should stop talking now before I dig myself any deeper.....

On a side note, I co-opened an Etsy store today!
www.robotink.etsy.com

RobotInk will hopefully be featuring some illustrations in the upcoming year as well as some random design items created by myself and/or Mr. Scott Bodaly.

Seagulls + Doritos

2008-12-18T08:33:00.000-08:00

This is just so ridiculously great.

"start quote

A seagull in Manistee, MI, has developed the habit of stealing Doritos from a neighborhood convenience store. He waits until the Manager isn’t looking, and then walks into the store and grabs a snack-size bag of cheese Doritos. Once outside, the bag gets ripped open and shared by other birds..

The seagull’s shoplifting started early this month. Since then, he’s become a regular. He always takes the same type of chips.The Manager thinks it’s great because people are coming to watch the feathered thief make the daily grab and run, and that’s good for business, and especially since customers have begun paying for the stolen bags because they think it’s so funny. However, the Manager did say, ‘This is Michigan, and if that seagull starts to grab a 6-pack o’ ‘Bud’ to go along with the Doritos, I may have to put a stop to it.’

Thanks to Rose D. for this article..

end quote"

Frito-Lay just got a free Doritos commercial and mascot on their hands. I wonder if the seagulls' faces and wings are permanently stained orange from the chips?

via michelle brook

uh.

2008-12-17T18:30:00.001-08:00

I've had a lot of time on my idle hands lately....due to well, not really working yet. I drew a squirrel. That is all.

Tenori-on! (aka kickass LiteBrite)

2008-12-16T22:36:00.000-08:00

I came across the Tenori-on about a year ago but never thought that it would really take flight until today when I came across (somewhat unshamedly from the urbanoutfittersblog) an actually impressive and fun use for the thousand dollar plus synth-lite brite.

Such a good cover, I'm going to make a mental note to learn this on guitar tomorrow....maybe I can rig up some Value Village LiteBrites on some timers and foot pedals to emulate the same effect?

Always, always, always back up your work...damnit

2008-12-14T13:50:00.001-08:00

Otherwise you end up staying up all night for no reason, an useless 136mb file on your hands, and a late project hand-in for a potential employer. There goes a good job perspective...damnit. The hunt continues.

NDFDA-TFS

2008-11-26T13:21:00.000-08:00

Not-Designed-for-Disassembly, That's for Sure.
The need for urban living space and curiosity killed the printer. After being moved around from apartment to apartment and between three cities four times, it was time for my seven year old printer to go. But to go where? The thing still worked (unfortunately), but a free-ad on craigslist showed that nobody wanted a perfectly good printer. Where square foot in my Toronto apartment is about 4 or 5 dollars a square foot, it was actually costing me money and space to hang on to the beast. So what do you do with a decent printer that you no longer need? You take it apart!

It took me about 3 hours over 2 nights to fully take the bastard apart. I found a few interesting things inside the printer, but I think the most ridiculous was a huge 1/2" felt pad on the bottom of the housing whose sole job was to soak up excess ink that arrived via a tube. No wonder I always ran out of ink so quickly!

So THAT's were all my ink went!

I also salvaged a few freebies from the inside, including 4 motors, a really shiny inanimate steel rod, and some gears. Random? yeah......it is.

There were a few parts that I just couldn't take apart no matter how hard I pulled and smashed. Ultimately I found an approximate 38 screws, 50+ plastic parts, 30+ metal parts, 6 parts that I just couldn't figure out how to disassemble/destroy, and 4 motors that I will probably fashion into another robot in the near future.

Printer carnage.

7.11 Pingu - Eskimo Disco

2008-11-18T08:10:00.000-08:00

No one can resist Pingu, emo penguins (@ 3:05 of the vid), and really, any type of dancing claymation.

Copy e'vy'ting!

2008-11-17T15:16:00.000-08:00

Painting that I got in Hong Kong. Real (toxic!) oil painting, real smile, real e'vy'ting!

As some may know, or little will know, as probably nobody reads this......but anyway, as some may know, I spent two months over the summer working in Shenzhen, China. Shenzhen itself is an interesting place itself, and I'll probably talk more about it over time as I run out of ideas, but I wanted to mention this little unknown village called Dafun Village (30 minutes beside Shenzhen). Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to hit it up while I was there, but it is definitely on my list of "stuff to do if I ever make it back into China before I die" list.

Basically, Dafen Village is a village that exists purely to create "bootleg" or copy paintings. The village boasts 600 art-packed stores, 8000 skilled artists (which is pretty much the make-up of the village's population), and pumps out 5000 copy Mona Lisa's a week. The paintings that some of the artists produce are actually really amazing quality. Although I didn't get a chance to check out the village, I did get a chance to bargain the socks off of some guy for a few paintings (which I'm sure are from Dafen). I've yet to figure out who the painter is, but I picked up a couple of his paintings, or at least copies of them, to give out to some family and friends.

Check out neat vid.

Sea and Cake - Good enough for cruise ships and probably for your parents

2008-11-15T07:13:00.000-08:00

I'm just waking up from my night after going to see the Sea and Cake at Lee's Palace, and seeing them live confirmed that they did indeed sound like rocking cruise ship music. Unfortunately, I was still a little embarrassed and self-conscious about my new crappy camera and I didn't bring him out last night, but I'll post this vid up here instead.

An aside: Is it just me, or does the singer kind of look like Sting, the guitarist looks like his favourite concoctions include vinegar and baking soda, and the drummer? Well, he looks so damn happy that he gets to drum. Man, they rock.

I wish I had brought my camera out last night, but if you're looking for something to give to your parents this upcoming Christmas, I'd recommend the Sea and Cake to transport them to visions of shuttle board, cabana boys, and seagulls.

designed by Ryan Noble, Kangaroo Press;
photo from Layout Workbook, Kristin Cullen, p183

"A Carnival of Attention Grabbing Festivities"

2008-11-13T20:01:00.000-08:00

I came across this video recently and it basically sums up one of the meetings that I had about a packaging display that I'm currently trying to wrap up for a client.

If I hear, "Can you make this bigger?" or "Can you put this top and center?" one more time......I'm going to start whipping out the FLUORESCENTATOR and STARBURST DUST. Actually, I should've done that in the first place, it probably would have saved me a lot of time and hassle going back and forth.

On the plus side with all these last minute changes and resizing of random product facts, virtually all white space has been eliminated! ya! One point for me.

www.whoneedsdesigners.com

first post - lam + kam kam!

2008-11-12T19:38:00.001-08:00

Finally got my replacement camera today! My last camera busted out on me back in April and was totally unreliable and deadweight during my HK, China, and Thailand adventures over the summer (don't even get me started on how much of a deadweight my Thinkpad became when it copped out on me one week into my travels). Unfortunately, Fuji Film decided that it was more economical to get me to pay for a recert. camera than to fix the one I sent for repair. Unfortunately again, the model that they sent me - although supposedly the next model up from mine, is very plastic-y and feels like it could break any minute.

One of my theories is that when Fuji was working on the J10 (the one they sent to replace my last Finepix 460), they accidentally sent phase one CAD files to manufacturing - hence the shoddy finished and fitting plastic parts. My second theory is that they got cheap and figured that glamour shots for marketing are taken from the front, and thus that is where the only quality piece of brushed metal is located.......oh well, good job Fuji for at least "attempting" to fix my last one.

In any case, I'm pretty excited that I at least have a camera now. To break it out, I took a picture of ZAK. I made ZAK tonight after a few glasses of wine and a potent margarita. It was sort of a stupor, improv craft session that I had on the floor in the middle of my apartment.

ZAK is short for muZAK (and Zak Morris) and holds my tunes. The industrial felt that I used kind of looks and feels like rat fur, which I think gives ZAK a bit of ratty character.

ZAK keeps the tunes hawt.

I wonder what my next stupor, improve craft session will make me?