Friday, July 29, 2005

DAY 1: Volunteering w/ NY Cares

I had such a rewarding experience last night helping out at the Chelsea Rec. Center, where New York Cares provides free computer training to its neighbors. I had the opportunity to work with two wonderful and eager-to-learn members of the community and even started some new friendships with them and fellow volunteers.

One woman in particular, an elderly woman named Edith, wanted to learn how to simply log into her email account to correspond with her niece and some fellow artists in her West Village community. I was very patient with her as she slowly and carefully articulated her passion for the arts and love of her creative community. But she had grown very frustrated with technology, unable to view or send emails to colleagues. As a society, many of us now prefer to correspond by email instead of phone or mail. This transition didn't sit well with Edith, but she knew she had to embrace email correspondence in order to stay in touch.

As she drafted one of her first emails ever, she typed a beautiful short letter to her niece, using her index finger to type out each letter. I didn't mind being patient - I enjoyed seeing the excitement and joy in her warm but weathered face. Once she completed her letter, she accidentally closed the browser window, losing all of the content. Amazingly she calmly asked me how to login again so that she could retype her message. If that was me, I would have been frustrated and changed gears, moving onto something else. But not Edith, she was determined to draft an email.

At the conclusion of our session, she expressed her appreciation and invited me to a gallery opening this weekend in the Village, featuring some of her films.

This doesn't even begin to share how rewarding the experience was last night. I can't wait till my next project...

Monday, July 25, 2005

Shoplifting is Old Hat

Here's what's hot -- SHOPDROPPING:

To covertly place merchandise on display in a store. Primarily used in guerrilla ad campaigns, tactical media projects, and art installations. s. reverse shoplift, droplift

Link courtesy of The Morning News

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

"El Yielazo"

Link of The Day:Nestea Ice

Really quirky and clever site created by Juxt Interactive, but it feels more like Chopping Block. Tons of detail, quirky animations, great sound effects and music!

Tip: click on the Ice Splash video for "El Yielazo"!!!

Monday, July 11, 2005

mydomain.mobi? say it ain't so...

Excerpt from article posted by Tobi Elkin on Mediapost:
There's a new domain for Web sites that are used in conjunction with wireless phones and devices. It's ".mobi."

The new suffix was approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers at a meeting last week in Amsterdam. The first Web sites for mobile devices will be ready in 2006. Companies backing the new domain include Ericsson, Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung, T-Mobile, and Vodafone. They say that having more Web pages optimized for mobile and handheld devices will spur consumers to upgrade their phones.

Thursday, July 07, 2005

FX Networks' 30 Days

The most unbelievable show on television right now is 30 DAYS, on F/X. Since watching the first show together, my wife and I have become huge fans and we haven't missed an episode. It's smart television, so tune in!

Powerpoint Gone Awry

A hysterical clip worth watching - ANIMAX' BOB & DOUG - brought to you by the kind folks at Animax. Kudos to Michael Bellavia for sending me the email via Viralbomb and creating my link of the day.

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Let Thy Audience Interact!

brutalfruit.com
Pass through the age verification and click on “Dancing Guy” (kind of hidden up in the top nav). Make the guy dance, take off his shirt... and of course, send to friends.

Coca-Cola Musicmixer
Play the piano and create your own beat as you interact with Coca-Cola world brands. You can save your recording and send to friends.

*sites created by Studiocom

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Brooklyn Bound? ...and so are the Nets

Jen and I are seriously considering a move to Brooklyn; Park Slope to be specific. A number of friends and colleagues call the neighborhood home, and a recent visit over the weekend (200 5th Ave -- for a delicious brunch) persuaded us even further.

This morning I read that the plans for the Nets arrival to Brooklyn may be an even larger footprint than expected. Then I realized just how close all of this construction is to the neighborhood we would like to inhabit.

Well, we've still got another couple of months to decide (or until I lose my mind commuting back and forth from out east on Long Island).