Something to consider: if you’re a software vendor and you also maintain an online forum related to your product, the professionalism of the people you select to moderate it is crucial. A recent incident on a forum I frequent has shaken my confidence in the company itself, even though the product is excellent.
Perception is reality.
Did you ever wonder how 3D animators manipulate meshes with a gazillion polygons in them on computers mere mortals can afford? One method is called Subdivision Surfaces. You start with a comparatively low-polygon mesh called the “control mesh” and that’s the one you generally work with. The software subdivides and smooths that control mesh into the high-polygon monster that looks so good in renders–but only at render time.
Here’s an example: a cartoon bear mesh showing the polygon density at the subdivision levels between zero (where I work with him) and three (when he’s actually rendered).
Subpatch Levels
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’
The professor then produced two beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
‘Now,’ said the professor as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things—-your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions—-and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else—-the small stuff.’
‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.
Take care of the golf balls first—-the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.’
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled and said, ‘I’m glad you asked. The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers with a friend.’
Because at this point in my life I need to be reminded of some stuff, and this immortal poem is a start.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.~ Robert Frost (1874–1963)
Best wishes for an awesome Yuletide Season, and for a prosperous 2013!
Drawn & animated in Xara Designer Pro, music arranged and performed in Cubase.
One of the advantages of being able to do a lot of my work on a laptop is the ability to slip out of my home office and hang out in other areas of the house. This morning I happened to look up from what I was doing and was struck by this view, which I decided to share.
Home is where the beauty is
Happy Holidays, everyone, and best wishes for a prosperous New Year!
As computer generated animation becomes ever more common in the media, the question of its effectiveness in advertising is a natural one. Given my involvement in the field my perspective is biased, but I assert that animation is a strong candidate for your advertising dollars. Here’s why:
As shown by various cognitive studies, animation in ads—such as banner ads on web pages—improves viewer engagement, recall, and click-through rates (the all-important metric). Creators of children’s cartoons have long understood that the more vibrant colors, sometimes-outlandish appearance, and vivid action of animated characters grab and hold the viewer’s attention more readily than more mundane sequences captured through standard filming. Due to the nature of our survival instincts the human eye is naturally drawn to movement, and to what stands out from the typical background “noise.”
Actors are expensive: between wages, travel, upkeep, and even insurance, live production costs mount rapidly. Location costs raise that level even higher, especially if you need to build sets. Animation, by contrast, does cost but the bottom line is usually significantly lower and much more predictable. In some cases the characters created for an animated project become the actual property of the client and can be used to generate future marketing potential without the need of a costly contract with a live actor. Compared to the overhead imposed by filming and production equipment and the people to operate them, animators work with a much lower-cost tool set and a smaller staff. Costs can be reduced even further by avoiding “middle men” and dealing directly with local animation studios—compare that to the red tape associated with acting guilds.
Through animation scenes can be created that might not even be possible using live filming. If the subject is a new product, models can quickly be created without the need of actual manufacture. If changes need to be made to a sequence there’s no need for a re-shoot: just make the changes and run a new render. If a live set is still desirable animated actors can readily be inserted into the same stock footage—again, without the need for a re-shoot to accomodate necessary changes in a sequence. Outdoor “virtual scenes” can be “shot” at any time, regardless of real-world lighting or weather concerns.
In live-action filming the actual footage must be shot before production can begin. Sets must be transported and assembled, actors positioned between takes, lighting conditions evaluated, and so on. While some initial 3D modeling must take place before animated sequences can be rendered, many studios leverage libraries of existing models which can be used with minor adjustments. Virtual sets, once created, exist forever with no need for setup and teardown. Virtual actors are always in place. Once a sequence is rendered the results are immediately available for viewing and evaluation. In general, the turnaround for animated production is much quicker than that for live filming.
In summary, animated advertising is effective, cost-efficient, flexible, and timely. I strongly urge you to consider these factors as you make advertising decisions—and buy local!
I hadn’t given the whole “Doomsday 2012″ meme much attention, honestly, (no, I didn’t see the movie) but now as the awful date draws nearer the noise has overcome my filter of indifference.
You’re kidding me, right? What pool of ignorance has been the bathing place for these people? Does this doomsaying help explain why so many people still get lathered over UFOs, 9/11 insiders and the Grassy Knoll?
People. Extraordinary claims bear the burden of needing extraordinary proof. You don’t come up with a hare-brained conjecture and then point to gaps in the evidence chain as though they bear you out—it works the other way around. You present a veritable mountain of clear-cut, undeniable and incontrovertible evidence that leaves the most fervent doubter no choice but to accept the conclusion which must be drawn therefrom. If you can’t overcome that level of scrutiny then you have nothing but fancy.
I guess what pissed me off the most recently was reading a little about a NASA astrobiologist who has been maintaining a blog aimed and providing facts and dispelling myths about this whole insanity. One of the posters actually asked for advice on when was best to kill her dog to spare it from the coming calamity! Can you effing believe it? I’m getting angry all over again just remembering.
Here’s an example of common sense: any celestial body of any respectable size, destined to strike Earth in two weeks, would already be the brightest object in the night sky. People whose jobs are to keep track of bazillions of objects of space junk as small as a dropped spare part, people who discover new planets around distant suns based on wavers of starlight you can’t detect with the naked eye, would hasten to let you know that no such dwarf planet could sneak in unseen.
Skepticism is good, people; embrace it. I’m going to quote Brian Dunning’s excellent description on the Skeptoid blog:
The popular misconception is that skeptics, or critical thinkers, are people who disbelieve things. And indeed, the common usage of the word skeptical supports this: “He was skeptical of the numbers in the spreadsheet”, meaning he doubted their validity. To be skeptical, therefore, is to be negative about things and doubt or disbelieve them.
The true meaning of the word skepticism has nothing to do with doubt, disbelief, or negativity. Skepticism is the process of applying reason and critical thinking to determine validity. It’s the process of finding a supported conclusion, not the justification of a preconceived conclusion.
It’s thus inaccurate to say “Skeptics don’t believe in ghosts.” Some do. Many skeptics are deeply religious, and are satisfied with the reasoning process that led them there. Skeptics apply critical thinking to different aspects of their lives in their own individual way. Everyone is a skeptic to some degree.
Skepticism is, or should be, an extraordinarily powerful and positive influence on the world. Skepticism is not simply about “debunking” as is commonly charged. Skepticism is about redirecting attention, influence, and funding away from worthless superstitions and toward projects and ideas that are evidenced to be beneficial to humanity and to the world.
The scientific method is central to skepticism. The scientific method requires evidence, preferably derived from validated testing. Anecdotal evidence and personal testimonies generally don’t meet the qualifications for scientific evidence, and thus won’t often be accepted by a responsible skeptic; which often explains why skeptics get such a bad rap for being negative or disbelieving people. They’re simply following the scientific method.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, particularly in claims that are far fetched or that violate physical laws. Skepticism is an essential, and meaningful, component of the search for truth.
There. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Oh, and the Apocalypse of 2012? I think I’ve found the answer in this lighthearted comic:
Image courtesy of Bizarro Blog.
Flying the Unfriendly Skies!
Fun Flash animation I did for a local coffee roasting company. In retrospect I think it drags a little at the end but I wanted to give the viewer plenty of time to read the text.