My Geek Notes

Well I’m finally starting to settle-in here in the greater Sacramento area. It’s been a crazy ride but well worth it! I’m really enjoying my new employment at Sibling Systems.

As many of you know I was asked to re-locate to Northern California to help take Sibling Systems to the next level by introducing sophisticated design to their arsenal of professional services. I’ve already made a significant impact here by bringing in new opportunities and most noticeably by launching a new website. Check it out here. I’d be interested to hear what you all think?!

While I miss all of you there in Utah I am excited to be here and hope to share many interesting and worth while things via the My Geek Notes blog.

Ikeman!

Well, my family and I are making a trip to N.California this weekend and I must say I’m starting to get really excited! There are several reasons to be excited about visiting God’s country! Majestic vistas, slightly humid air, etc. but all pale in comparison to the experience that is IN-N-OUT Burger! Yes, my mouth water’s at the mere mention of the name!! I’ll take 2 Double-Double’s Animal Style please.

Okay, so I was watching my favorite show the other day - “Big Idea w/ Donny Deutsch” and he had the creator of what is probably one of the coolest recent products released in the past decade! This product is the “lotus Sanitizing System”. This product turns ordinary tap water into environmentally safe cleaner that is 3 times as powerful as bleach! It also kills 99.9% of bacteria on contact! This is definitely worth looking into! crazy cool stuff! In addition to their sanitizing system they also have a water purification unit as well. I’ve ordered the sanitizing system so I’ll let you know from first hand experience how it works!

So I’ve never been one to get excited over the idea of eating Sushi… I’d hear of people driving some ridiculous distance just for Sushi!? This was something that didn’t compute for me as little as one week ago… I mean why would someone get excited about some raw fish wrapped up in seaweed and rice - when you could have a tasty burger at the local “greasy-spoon… Am I right?! NO!! I’m hear to tell you I’ve been bitten by the Sushi bug! Yes me… meat-&-potato’s Ike!!

This past Thursday I had the choice opportunity of going to Osaka Sushi Restaurant with a few buddies… I was hesitant and apprehensive at first but after a couple of bites I was in heaven! I then took my wife to Osaka… she was also very apprehensive about the idea of Sushi but now she too is converted. My favorite Sushi Roll is the Crunchy Mexican.

Over the weekend I happened to catch an old Doris Day / James Garner movie - “Move Over Darling“. I’d seen the show before but it had been a long time… I decided to watch the show from a designer’s perspective. It’s amazing to see how much the design of today parallels that of the early sixties. Not only in dress, but in the interior design, etc. I sometimes wish that I could jump back in time to experience what it might have been like to live and work in that time. The world was a simpler safer place. However I don’t think I’d last long without the the personal computer & internet unless I was able to erase such things from my remembrance.

Anyway, the world is what you make of it… I think because of the information age we’re more readily informed about the wickedness that goes on this world and so we take more precautions to lock-up and keep a short leash on our kids but in all reality I don’t know that we or our kids are any more likely to fall prey to those that would do them harm…? But that’s an entirely different subject all unto itself… and I don’t feel like dwelling anymore on that.

I guess my main purpose for writing on this is to draw similarities between today’s design and that of the early sixties…

How can one begin his day with out it? Yes, the sweet sting of the heavily carbonated beverage hitting the taste buds for the first time that day… it won’t be the last! No, this is the first of many Diet Coke’s that will feel the warmth of my hand this day. There the elegantly designed can sits… reminding me that everything is going to be okay. I give it a nod and a wink just before I reach over to embrace it’s cold exterior with my steady hand. I bring it to my lips and drink… ahhhh!

Well it looks like our buddies at Amazon leaked the pricing for Adobe CS3… check it out here.

I’m hearing several complaints from people questioning whether or not CS3 is a significant enough upgrade or not… I’m here to tell you that it most definitely is! If for nothing else but Photoshop alone! The new interface is beautiful and very intuitive!

This may be old news to some but I think it’s till worth bringing up. Back in late 2004 Scaled Composites won the Ansari X-Prize for successfully launching the first Civilian sponsored Space Ship into space. At that same time Sir Richard Branson announced that he was partnering with Scaled to form the first intergalactic space tourism company - Virgin Galactic

Ever since this announcement was made, I’ve been totally geeking out about it! I’ve started pondering on what it would be like to go to space and If I’ll ever actually have the money to make the trip!?  The current price is set at $200,000.  In addition to dreaming of going to space - I’ve also started to think about what kind of contribution I might be able to make to the inevitable colonization of space.  I’m a designer so my first inclination is to think about how I can use my skills as a designer… can I design products, clothing, etc.  I don’t know… it’s just cool to think that this step into the final frontier has finally been taken… the every-man will one day be able to leave this planet to possibly vacation on the moon!?

Quite possibly the greatest movie of all time “300″ - just happened to be produced with - what I think is - the greatest straight out of the box piece of 3D software on the market today! Lightwave 3D!!

Lightwave has a long storied history in the movie business. I could make a list of all of the great films it was used in but I wouldn’t know where to begin. Anyway, check out this great featurette on how exactly Lightwave was used in the pre-vis and post production of what I’m calling the greatest movie of all time:

300 Featurette

Here’s IKEMAN trying to look heroic or something