Craig Birchler's

On Sunday I saw the prototype.  I can’t actually tell you all about it now (I’ll return to the idea in subsequent posts).  It wasn’t really all the much to look at on the surface.  Just a couple of screens with limited functionality.  But there were countless hours of preparation, research, design, education and development behind what we all saw.  Knowing where this prototype originate from, roughly a year ago, it is an empowering feeling to finally see the elements which are out of your personal ability (development and coding) finally begin to take shape.

All this comes about because I am currently working towards the design and (aiding with) development of a new Android application.  It’s an interesting process that began as a Facebook application, which molded into an iPhone application, and is now a low level Android application.  Our group, including Christian Beck, among others, has made our way through 2.5 unsuccessful developers and countless hours toiling over our first true attempt at proprietorship.  We finally found a real match with our newest developer.  I’ll keep them nameless for the time being so as not to disrupt current careers.

I’m writing just to express how great it feels not only to be a part of something positive and worth while, but to know that you were there from day one.  We have ideated, designed, argued and iterated more times than I care to recall.  Each step was necessary in achieving the final goal.  The initial idea came from memes and expressions of our user group.  It then moved from expression towards communication.  Now communication to entertainment. Where will it go next? I cannot wait to find out.

I’ve only been a year and a half removed from grad school, but this experience has kept me grounded in the importance of designer persistence.  Persistence in education and development of knowledge.  Without this persistence, we would have faded long ago.  I haven’t yet figured out where this persistent component of my brain (or soul) lies so as to tap its rich abilities.  I recognize it’s existence, and more importantly its importance.  This experience hasn’t directly given my current state of mind meaning.  It has however, helped me to continue along a designerly path.  I know not where we will be 6 months from now with our idea, but I know that seeing this project through to its completion has become my life’s current fulfilling goal.

It’s not what will define my life forever, but it is what should define my life in the current.  I challenge everyone to seek out not a lifetime goal, but a series of goals that make up your life in time.

SuperTroopers + Motion Typography (creativity) =

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc_vpeaKpB0

http://www.cooper.com/journal/agile2008/

This isn’t so much a read as much as it’s a view of a presentation (as you read through it, note that there is no audio, but accompanying the wonderful imagery are the informative notes).  The presentation looks to have been developed by Alan Cooper, of Cooper consulting.

The presentation, among other elements, looks to alleviate the tensions and confusion between members of a software development teams through the use and understanding of the “agile software development” model.  This is accomplished by providing historical and current key differences between the waterfall development model and that of the new age of agile.  Additionally, considering the ever increasing amounts of negativity and frustration among varying team members, Cooper describes the constraints and pitfalls of the each area of development and how the agile model begins to provide the tools to alleviate these stresses.

I won’t lie, I haven’t read through the entire thing yet (I got it at work and figured I should actually DO that work) so this is rather incomplete review of the presentation.  For this reason I have stuck to the mode of objective interpretation.  My subjective side will come out strong once I finish reading it.  I hear that after slide 77 it really starts to get good.  If that’s the case, I’m truly in for a treat.

Subjective thoughts sustained… for now…

(borrowed from Josh Evnin)

Comfort under fire…

Originally uploaded by Craig Birchler

Not exactly what you’d want to see at the Boston Logan airport while
you’re waiting for your flight to Indianapolis.

Not much needs to be said about this post.  It’s amazing the tricks our mind can play on us when we actually include the removal process of standard elements.  Take for instance the blog Garfield minus Garfield.  The blog has been noted for the removal of the famous stripped cat, leaving behind the individualized comments of one Jon Arbuckle. The amazing point of interest comes from this quote pulled from the site:

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life?

In instances like these, we can easily see psychological disposition as a factor of those around us.  We are factors of the world around us, all the while the world around us is a factor of what we choose to create in our minds.  When our minds choose to respond to talking orange and black stripped cats, one might start to question the sanity of conversation.  Or maybe its a simplistic release we all desire.  How do you view Jon Arbuckle?  Can you look past the boisterous cat?

Who knew Jon was such a depressed individual?  What does it mean to have a Garfield in our lives?  Who is Garfield in the life of Jon Arbuckle? Do we all have Garfields in our lives? It is an interesting thought, if nothing more.

Okay, so maybe a little more needs to be said than I previously thought… but I swear, I wasn’t talking to myself.

Video sites like YouTube!, Metacafe, and Vemo have brought user generated content into the main stream habits of much of the world’s population. Big TV (NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox) have all but completely jumped on board with the ever changing landscape of digital media. Some of them do it better than others, but at least they’re trying. Some sites have made video production so simple that the only barrier to making interesting content and distributing it to wide audiences, is the ability to actually make interesting content. The largest problem with this new model is the lack of value of entertainment, or the “value” viewers place on watching a piece of content. The standard model of network television does not have a huge problem with this (though they are locked into this model and cannot break out into new areas of desire).

Television’s old model of searching out the best writers, paying them salaries to write up in localized groups, then using major budgeted studios to produce the content is still solid and in tact. We will never fade in our desires to see high quality, well acted, well produced media. We will however, utilize our new found means of distribution and creation of content as examples for how we will proceed. With such low barriers to entry, while not everyone can generate quality ideas, a good idea or an interesting idea can come from anywhere. (Thanks Ratatouille)

Take Umamitv.com for example. A small localized group of individuals has developed a solid foundation for an internet based television show with food as the focus. Not just any food you might see on the Food Network, but food high in “umamin”. It is described by the cook of the show as

When you eat something and it feels and tastes rich and luscious and you sort of want to swirl your tongue along the roof of your mouth to get the full intensity of the flavor, that’s umami… …To me, it’s more than just a reference to a chemical compound, it describes the enjoyment of food on a carnal and sensual level where you are delving deeply into the flavor, allowing yourself to properly enjoy it, for it’s own sake.

It’s a lovely thought as I’m sure many people have expressed it, or at least the passion of such an idea in the past. This person, as many others do, stands out as someone who was actually willing to take a craft to an entertaining, educational place with the help of low barriers to entry. This is a new breed of content developers who combine utility of low cost of server space with the ease of use for video editing and production equipment. With these tools, along with true effort and desire, anyone can truly become an internet TV star.

The problem is that not everyone can become a big star… at least not alone. Luckily for us, the internet is vast and wide. In other words, it’s completely open, not in the sense of opensource, but in the sense of empty space. Desire is an interesting thing. It screws us ever day. Even if we know we have a wonderful idea, one that we truly believe in, we often choose to bypass that idea because we don’t understand the amazing amount of aid available to us. Our desire, even when strong, can be overcome by a lack of knowledge about execution. This is our entry point into that vast area of wide open space. In this space a gap filling application can and should be developed. A suite of applications, or possibly one application which brings together all aspects of knowledge generation, knowledge expansion, production, filming, editing can promote value.

The resulting application(s) is not a hosting location for content, but rather for the activities surrounding the creation and development of the content. Distribution is not necessary, because these means have already been developed (YouTube for example), and are followed in large part by the bulk of media viewers. Pulling in more users is not the problem which needs to be solved; the development of entertainment value is our concern. Finding individuals with desires like the star of umamitv.com is a relatively simple task. The long tail of the internet provides a ever widening platform where these individuals can become not only popular, but self sustaining.

Many of the tasks required in the development and production of web based video content can be atomized and formalized, and furthermore, some of these activities can be maximized. Maximized by allowing a site where content creators, content developers and editors to work together. The next great revolution in the social network model will come when these socialized networks learn to come together to promote one single set of ideas and/or activities. At MySpace, Facebook and even Twitter, users come to promote the activity of self broadcasting their generalized lives and friendships. At LinkedIN, users come for the activity of promoting themselves and others all for the purpose of finding a job. Here, in this instance, I am calling for a site, or a suite of networked sites which work in conjunction with one another for the activity of generating high value entertainment.

In this new realm, we could create a much more broad range of content desired by more people than Television could ever reach. Basically, Big TV’s ability to broaden itself is confined by time. Only so much can be added in the time provided. Shows must be interwoven with one another to produce habitual activity by viewers, but viewers of confined by what is available. The internet’s reach and lack of need to worry about time as a constraint helps to broaden the range of entertainment accessibility. But again, the entertainment itself is still dependent on the level of desire and ability provided by its creator (and obviously the abilities of the application itself).

A revenue model is discussed, but please contact me if you wish to know more…

Greatful Teachers

Originally uploaded by Craig Birchler

Teachers greatful to come together. They seem to love nothing more
than than to share what many would consider secrets in any other
industry. Thankfully they are willing ti help out our cause concerning
how best to improve our products. What is more amazing is the fact
that these teachers are truly passionate about one unified front:
their students.

That’s easy to say in theory, but I can truly feel the passion in
their discussions and generalized questions. It makes me wonder how we
were so lucky to get an entire room full of them. They can’t all be
like this, can they?

PS Coffee seems more important than faces today.