Copyright, Art and Baseball
Jan 30, 2009 Arts, Baseball, Information
I feel compelled to write. People that know me also know that I love my baseball. I also enjoy getting a little creative from time to time. I have entered contests in the past to mix and mash-up artists’ pieces of music that were sponsored by the artists and had permission to re-skin themes for websites. However, Goodyear Ballpark’s new sculpture is unnerving for some reason.
Is it the fact the Bird in Space artist Constantin Brancusi, had passed 52 years ago and could not have possibly been okay with it? Or was it the fact that he was paid such a large sum of money to give it to the city? Don’t get me wrong, I have done my fair share of parody logos (see the site logo) but, have never sought financial reward without either seeking permission or paying for rights. Maybe it will grow on me but, I like to think that I can appreciate art and this doesn’t resonate well with me right now.
In case you can’t tell. I am really having a hard time with this. Check it out. It’s massive.
“Constantin Brancusi: Bird in Space (1996.403.7ab)”. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/11/euwf/ho_1996.403.7ab.htm (October 2008)
Learn more on www.metmuseum.org
See more works of art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of European Paintings and Modern Art.
Tags: arizona, art, Baseball, Phoenix, Photography
Is the City of Phoenix Shrinking?
Jan 28, 2009 Information, Phoenix
As fond as I am of the City of Phoenix, a recent disheartening article on AZ Central.com reveals that people may actually be leaving the city. Although the numbers seem to be a possibility, I do question the validity of the numbers. Some of the evidence that the articles states includes the increased number of foreclosures, the decline in water hookups and other public services, the decrease in crime, in addition to some other contributing factors.
The reason why I question the article is that there is no supporting evidence that the population is not spreading to some of the other outlying areas and we are experiencing more room and home sharing. I would be interested to learn if places like Gilbert, Chandler, Glendale, Peoria and Surprise are continuing to experience growth.
Let’s circle back to the article for a second… It does say “The City” and it is indeed referencing city statistics which means that the population is not necessarily leaving the State of Arizona. However, one item of note is that they estimate there are a few hundred to several thousand people that may have left the City of Phoenix. In the grand scheme of things, with over 1.5 million residents (as of the last U.S. Census) several thousand may be a drop in the bucket.
For those of you that have left, you are always welcome back, and those of you that have moved to places like Gilbert, Chandler, Glendale, Peoria and Surprise, be proud that our metro area is 4.1 million strong; making this the second largest metro area to Los Angeles, California.
Entertaining Spam
Jan 20, 2009 Internet
Who knew that spam could be so fun? I know that I am not the only one that seems to be working on new things to combat it whether it be email spam or comment spam. Anyhow, I received an email this past weekend that was quite entertaining, so I thought that I would share it with you. I have omitted the name in the event that … well, just cuz.
Hello this is **name**. i really need a good person who can teach my son how to design on the topic below.
creative designer…
Graphic designer…
Photo designer…
Solidworks AutoCAD Designer…
web designer…
Designer(Graphic art)…
HTML/CSS Design…
Design/Animation…
Graphic Designer/Illustrator…
Mechanical Designer / Drafter…
Landscape designer…
Home Designer…
E.T.C.please email me if you can teach my son any of the subject listed and there is payment . thanks Get
back to me
You know, for about the first three sentences, I began to take it pretty seriously until I got to the end. One of my friends on Twitter even asked, “Why don’t you teach them to build a boat and bake a cake while you’re at it?” I think that they forgot Fashion Design, City Planning and Biochemical Engineering.
Anyhow, sometimes it is the little things like this that make me glad to be among some really intelligent and creative people. I almost feel that I should not be poking fun but, at the same time, I get made fun of from time to time. I like to think of those times as Character Building Exercises.
Crispin Porter & Bogusky Keeps Getting Better for BK
Jan 13, 2009 Advertising, Internet
Burger King’s ad agency of record continues to do great things for the company as they continue with their outstanding viral marketing campaigns. Crispin Porter first deployed a successful campaign by delivering the Subservient Chicken to us in 2004. This campaign was followed by a less than successful circus type campaign. In 2007 the ad team came back with the Whopper Freakout which was based on the idea that the Burger King was a “Whopper Free Zone”. Placing cameras around BK and filming unsuspecting guests as they were notified that the Whopper was no longer on the menu fueled some pretty interesting reactions.
This year the agency has outdone themselves again. Whopper Virgins, has rivaled the online success of the prior year’s Whopper Freakout as covered by Ad Age. The concept is simple; go to places that have not experienced a Whopper and show how they eat it and how it fares in a taste test against a rival burger. The impact is phenomenal. I recommend taking 10 minutes out of your day to watch it in its entirety. The responses are both moving and compelling. One of the reasons why this campaign may actually do better than the poor campaign is that it evokes emotion.
I will admit, when I first saw the words Whopper Virgins, I was disinterested. After seeing what all the hype was about, I am glad I checked it out.
Tags: ad agency, Advertising, burger king, Crispin Porter & Bogusky, interactive advertising, interactive marketing
Do Flash Memory Music Albums Have Legs?
Jan 11, 2009 Music
The easy answer to that question is no but I am not speaking about bodily limbs here. As the music industry continues to evolve there have been many arguments about licensing digital music from the days of Napster to the current times of iTunes. While artists are diligently working to get the most return on the publishing of their talent, the digital music format has made it easier for piracy and copyright infringement. One would argue that it would be a massive undertaking for the community to monitor and police the legal use of digital media published by these artists. In perspective, it seems that the industry agrees and is taking steps towards alternative approaches to helping the artists to get the income they deserve.
I know that it may sound like a broken record. I also realize that a ton of us are tired of hearing this same old story but, anyone that has tried to make a song would agree that there is no easy way to create music. Being able to create sounds and beats that are pleasing to the ear and that move you involve a substantial amount of talent. In order to recuperate some of the lost opportunities for income, artists have tried things such as distribution of music on flash USB drives, as promotional items. Although the drives did not quite catch on, they have migrated to the use of SlotMusic.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Advertising, digital multimedia, flash memory, Music
