Well, today I woke up with a headache at around 12am, which essentially meant I missed class. Awesome. Even more awesome is the fact that I would really have liked to have asked some valuable questions regarding HOW THE HELL DO I BUILD MY SITE? Apologies. I lost my composure for a second. So instead since I have been up I have been grappling with my mouse and keyboard in a vicious battle to attempt to make some form of a working...anything...in Dreamweaver. Now, I've built some websites in my time, nothing astounding, and I'll admit it, its been about 2 years so Im more than a little rusty, but Dreamweaver just doesn't like me. It doesn't. Its not a matter of simple "I dont know how to do it". It is a matter of "You want to do this but im not going to let you do it, and instead move everything around that you had laid out in a way that is both inconvient and wastes a large portion of your time".
Let me try to reiterate that in another way. The more educated among you will be privy to the knowledge that 2+2=4. However. However indeed. What is quickly becoming the greatest enemy I have ever faced, indeed, perhaps even my long awaited "Arch-nemsis", the so-called "Dream" weaver does not need to adhere to this logic. Instead of doing 2+2 to reach the goal of four, it instead decides it want to go on a picknick. The cheese sandwiches were lovely but I have an assignment due next week for the love of god!
Aside from this, I continue to slave away. Though when I say "slave away" what I actually mean is that I am staring blankly at my screen with Photoshop open, not sure what I should do or add to the site layout. On one hand, I am happy with it on a basic level, it looks nice, it seems easy enough to navigate, but im ever so reluctant to add to it. When it comes to building things, and that counts for anything, be it a lego castle or a website, I cant bring myself just "add" things on. Everything has to flow, one thing must lead to the next. There needs to be purpose for everything. This, unfortunately, leads to very bland end-products though. My site at the moment lacks punch, pizzahz. Theres nothing bold about it. But then, does there really need to be? I'm creating a site that is essentially intended to acomodate the elderly. People who get a thrill out of growing things. And not in their stomach, like much of the under 14 female youth of today. What im saying is, from a design perspective, do I really need to re-invent colour schemes as we know them or is it ok to settle for comfortable?
I've experimented with a few layouts and designs, and as usual, simple just seems to work best. I played around with gradients and fades, with fancy boarders, but block colours just appeal to me. Is it just me? I mean look at this page im typing on right now. A simple blue banner with some other shades of blue as blocks towards the left. Coupled with the light brown tabs and headers, its all topped off with white background. Simple. Effective. Easy on the eye.
Is it always nesscary to break the mold? I dont think so. Certainly not in this case and so Im just going to stop trying. Im going to stop saying to myself "Oh, what kind of interesting, amazing thing could I do here?", otherwise I think im just going to end up with a bright pink Polar bear. Stylish it may be to the (In the right person's eyes) but completely in-effective. Maybe im just being lazy, talking myself out of doing more work, but the saying does go "Less is More".
By the way, if you bought any of the books we were told to get ahold of at the start of the year, take a flick through "A Pratical Guide to Digital Design". Theres alot of information and cool tips about colour usage and typography in there, both on an asthetical level and a psychological level. If nothing more, its worth just referencing it so you get that book research mark. ;)
Well thats enough about site designs. Lets talk about life. I gave vegeterianism a go for 2 weeks. I'd never really considered it before since I dont really buy into the whole "Killing animals is wrong" bit. Dont get me wrong, I dont support processed animal farming. I buy Free Range eggs and avoid the cheap stuff, and unless im dying of hunger and theres no place else, avoid McDonalds/KFC/Burgerking. But you know, Lion>Gazelle and all that. Human beings have removed themselves from the food chain I'm afraid, its an annoying fact, but I just don't have time to go spear a boar when I get home in the evenings. Its true, we don't live and eat naturally now-days, but we could get really philosophical about this and say that who is to say what nature is? Like all animals are forced to adapt to changing environments or die out, humans have adapted to the creation of society, the introductions of butchers and farmers. But I'm going off on a tangent again. I don't want to get into the philosophy here. I tried it. I was happily surprised. I didn't find I missed meat to much and gave the various substitutes a go too. However, at the end of the 2 weeks I found myself asking "Why am I doing this?", I have no real reason to be a vegeterian as I previously explained. I respect people who feel differently, but I decided I wouldn't stick with it. Still, its nice to try new things I guess...
Well, I guess I'll wrap this up. On the animation front, if you want to see some good robot-smashing anime, check out Casshern SINS. Im afraid its only available as subs at the moment, but its got some amazing aniation and its a very deep anime too. Lots of deeper messages running through it, I really thoroughly enjoyed watching it. Check it out if you dont mind subtitles and you're into anime.
Oh, im also thinking of writing up a short story i've had floating around in my head for a while, so I guess i'll post a link to that if I ever write it out a chapter or two.
Catch you in Class
-Joe
P.S. No images today, my desktop and photoshop is currently littered with website images and files.
Wednesday 18 March 2009
Monday 2 March 2009
Country Living - The Silent Killer
You'll have to excuse the title, I've always wanted to work "Silent killer" into one of my blog titles. Although I suppose you could say that with a large portion of O.A.P's migrating to the country side in their golden years (Or is it silver years? I'm never sure about that one) the country life IS something of a silent killer. I should make a graph to demonstrate this. One moment whilst I open paint and grapple with my Wacom tablet.
As you can see, its all very clear and scientific. I had the boffins downstairs figure it all out for me. Ok, im done with my stupid introduction. But you didnt honestly expect anything else from me, right?
So lets discuss what happened today in class. We had a lecture from a lady called Dawn (It was dawn, right?). It seemed like pretty solid stuff and alot of it made sense. Unfortunately when it comes to listening my Brain can only really function at full capacity for about 20 minutes at a time, max. The lecture lasted about an hour and a half I think, so after the first 20 minutes I was forced to start taking notes since I couldn't really take in what she was saying. Due to my note taking to be sub-par however, I later looked at them and realised I had simply written down what most likely were, at the time, key words like "Demographic", "Acessibility", "Semi" (What the fudge right?), "Incoperation", "Feedback" and the all to useful "Profiling". Profiling was underlined. Twice. (That means its important, for those who arent on the "up and up"). However, the meaning behind these words are now completely lost on me. So I apologize Dawn, I will try to utilize every second of the first 20 minutes of your lecture to the best of my god given ability whilst working on this assignment, to atone for my crude (damn no-swearing policy...Damn you julie! Damn you examiners!) note taking.
Following this, we went to lunch. Lunch was the highlight of the day. I had steak. I havent had a steak since I became a student. Enough said. I also believe there was some entertaining conversation, but I rarely pay attention to that kind of garbage.
You may make a note of the fact that this is actually being posted on wednesday the 4th, not monday the 2nd (Which, according to the canon of my life, is when these events took place and I am supposed to be posting this post). This is due to some unforseen events that occured on monday as I was typing this all out, involving me getting on a bus and going into town, which left this particular post in a "draft" state, to be forget and rediscovered today when I went to add a new entry. So I am just going to finish this off with a "I dont remember what else I was going to write about on Monday". Well, that concludes this post, I hope someone reads it. As always, I'll see you in a couple of days Digital Media Design team (who all seem to have abandoned me at the back of the class where I now sit all by myself). This is me, setting sail for fail!
- Joe
As you can see, its all very clear and scientific. I had the boffins downstairs figure it all out for me. Ok, im done with my stupid introduction. But you didnt honestly expect anything else from me, right?
So lets discuss what happened today in class. We had a lecture from a lady called Dawn (It was dawn, right?). It seemed like pretty solid stuff and alot of it made sense. Unfortunately when it comes to listening my Brain can only really function at full capacity for about 20 minutes at a time, max. The lecture lasted about an hour and a half I think, so after the first 20 minutes I was forced to start taking notes since I couldn't really take in what she was saying. Due to my note taking to be sub-par however, I later looked at them and realised I had simply written down what most likely were, at the time, key words like "Demographic", "Acessibility", "Semi" (What the fudge right?), "Incoperation", "Feedback" and the all to useful "Profiling". Profiling was underlined. Twice. (That means its important, for those who arent on the "up and up"). However, the meaning behind these words are now completely lost on me. So I apologize Dawn, I will try to utilize every second of the first 20 minutes of your lecture to the best of my god given ability whilst working on this assignment, to atone for my crude (damn no-swearing policy...Damn you julie! Damn you examiners!) note taking.
Following this, we went to lunch. Lunch was the highlight of the day. I had steak. I havent had a steak since I became a student. Enough said. I also believe there was some entertaining conversation, but I rarely pay attention to that kind of garbage.
You may make a note of the fact that this is actually being posted on wednesday the 4th, not monday the 2nd (Which, according to the canon of my life, is when these events took place and I am supposed to be posting this post). This is due to some unforseen events that occured on monday as I was typing this all out, involving me getting on a bus and going into town, which left this particular post in a "draft" state, to be forget and rediscovered today when I went to add a new entry. So I am just going to finish this off with a "I dont remember what else I was going to write about on Monday". Well, that concludes this post, I hope someone reads it. As always, I'll see you in a couple of days Digital Media Design team (who all seem to have abandoned me at the back of the class where I now sit all by myself). This is me, setting sail for fail!
- Joe
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