This wonderful video was posted today, and I just had to share it! “Thirty years ago Macintosh promised to put technology in the hands of the people. To celebrate Mac’s birthday, this film was shot around the world in one day, entirely on iPhone. Here’s to the next thirty.”
And put technology into the hands of people it did! Wow!
It is hard to believe that today marks the 30th birthday of Apple’s Macintosh computer! Wow! 1984. 1984 — I was newly into quilt making (still hand piecing!), almost three years married, and I just started attending college at night while working during the day. I was listening to music like “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen, and songs by Prince, Billy Idol, Thompson Twins, Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran, and newcomer Madonna. By way of movies, there was Ghostbusters, Star Trek III, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and, funny enough, Revenge of the Nerds.
Thirty years explains the older models that have piled up in the basement, including an SE in the original zippered canvas case. I keep trying to clean out some of the stuff, but I just can’t bring myself to toss anything with an Apple on it, such as the many rolled-up posters in closets and under my bed from various MacWorld launching events, the boxes of software, floppy disks, and manuals, and the like. And let me not get started on the years I worked part-time educating people on the original iMac (that was me working in Datavision on Fifth Avenue in NYC introducing the original Bondi Blue iMac when it was released August 15, 1998).
Here’s part of a four-page ad for the first Macintosh
That was 1984 — fast forward 30 years, and I suspect it’s only a fraction who cannot!
The MacMotherShip website has a collection of vintage Macintosh ads. I’ve kept some that I’ve torn out of Newsweek magazines. However, my collection is way far from complete!
Here is Steve Jobs introducing the first Macintosh.
While this commercial certainly isn’t 30 years old, the Think Different campaign was my favorite. In this video, Steve Jobs is narrating the ad. In the end, Apple used Richard Dreyfus’ voice because Jobs didn’t want people to relate the ad to him. Of course in the end, he’s all I can think about when I see it.
The Macintosh absolutely changed my life, to which to say Happy Birthday and thank you!
Macworld in San Francisco wasn’t the crowded event that it was just a few years back. Like last year, and maybe the year prior (if memory serves me correct), it’s held in Moscone West, the smaller sibling to Moscone’s main buildings. This year Ashton Kutcher was among the keynote speakers, talking about his role playing the late Steve Jobs in an upcoming movie. In past years I’d wake early to stand on a very long line to listen to Mr. Jobs give his keynote. However, I couldn’t bring myself to even attend the event Mr. Kutcher was speaking at. It seemed too flat in comparison. Yes, I hit that age when I can easily ramble on with statements that start, “I remember when …” That being said, I still enjoy attending, seeing what’s new, and taking a few classes to brush up on skills.
This year Adobe had a small presence, mainly showing off Photoshop Touch for the iPad. I’d think by now most people already own it. I wonder how Photoshop will fare in the coming years. While it remains my favorite tool, there are a lot of powerful apps for a teeny fraction of the cost.
After Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath, it’s no surprise that gear from Goal Zero immediately caught my eye. Both Derry and I got the Goal Zero Nomad 7 solar charger (which sells for $99). We also got the Guide 10 Plus battery pack, which includes four rechargeable batteries, solar and USB inputs, and a handy LED flashflight. That unit sells normally sells for $59.95, but it was included as a show special (nice deal!). You can find information about the solar charger here. While I do have two other decent chargers, I really like the idea of a solar charger, especially when out on the road.
Above is the Jot Touch pressure sensitive stylus I mentioned in the post below. You can find more information about it here, including how to pre-order it for $89. It has something called “palm rejection technology,” meaning you can rest your hand on the iPad while using it, and only the stylus itself will make a line rather than your hand (or finger). There are 2,000 levels of pressure sensitivity, and you can turn on and off the palm rejection feature. I suspect if I had a bit more money to toss about, I’d pre-order one. Right now I’m still holding off. I use the regular Jot stylus, which I got last year at Macworld (and, funny enough, won another this year). It has the same round, clear disc that glides along the surface. For the most part, I like it, although every once in the while it skips a bit. To get around the pressure sensitivity, I work in a lower opacity and build up color. Even so, after trying it and the Hex3 from JaJa, it really is quite nice. Here’s info on the Hex 3. I see their price is also $89.95. Another artist I spoke with told me her favorite stylus is the iFaraday (not pressure sensitive). I couldn’t find it at the show and thus didn’t try it, but you can find info on it here.
7:50 a.m. and off to the local Target (it’s a much farther drive to the Apple store), making it prior to the 8 a.m. opening time. There was a line of about 12 or so people, which was sort of exciting (and luckily nothing like the incredibly long lines Derry and I use to stand on for hours and hours waiting for Steve Jobs to talk at a keynote!) The doors opened, and we all headed to the electronics department where the security guard told us to form a line. A manager had narrow strips of white paper noting the various models available. When it was my turn, they did not have the model I wanted. What to do, what to do. Off to the local Walmart. Amazingly, they had it. Bought it. Back home, and back to work.
I have the original iPad, and I didn’t buy the second generation because I really like the first. I use it every day, and I use it exclusively when away to keep up with business, to work with images, and so on. However, Rich discovered how much he likes it and we often have a tug of war over it. It’s his birthday today. Darn convenient! I figured if I was able to walk into a store and buy one, then it was time for him to have mine. And have mine he now does, complete with some car racing apps that I am so glad I didn’t download earlier! The great thing is he is really enjoying it, which is very cool (this is a man who had any zero interest in computers).
If you’re wondering, yes the image quality is noticeably improved, which is darn surprising considering how good the quality was to begin with. No doubt about it, it is gorgeous.
To illustrate, I used my phone to take a couple pictures of both ipads displaying the same photograph of a butterfly picture I took last year. The new iPad image is on top, the old iPad image is underneath. Both are straight from the phone, exactly as it was captured (plus my little url stamp).
from the new iPad
from the original iPad
The device is nothing short of magic. If you can, treat yourself to one. It’s incredibly useful, but also fun. Another option is the iPad 2, which was cut in price or the original iPad, which you can probably find for even less money (and which is still magical). What a cool time we live in!
These are some pixs that I took using the Olloclip lens with an iPhone 4s. As mentioned in the post below, I bought it while at Macworld in San Francisco. The images with the wild colors were taken using the HD setting, and a couple from the plane are out of focus as a result, but still kind of interesting looking. The cable car was taken at night but with a lot of store lighting. These are all pre-Camera Awesome.
Tears are falling and my heart is aching, but I am forever grateful to this visionary man for all he did and all he inspired.
I can talk for hours on how intertwined I am with Macintosh and Apple products; how they truly changed my life; how much joy I’ve had over the decades being involved with the Mac community, attending MacWorlds, waiting on what seemed like endless lines to listen to Steve Jobs speak at keynotes. Instead, I’ll say that I was one of the many heading to an Apple store to leave condolences, which is such a strange, strange thing to do. I’m feeling totally out of whack, which also doesn’t make much sense. And I feel incredibly sad, yet so grateful to have been a part of it all for a long time, although not nearly long enough.
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. …
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” —
Think Different ad campaign, Apple Inc.
Thank you, Steve, for changing the world and for changing my world for the better.
If you’ve never viewed his 2005 Commencement Address at Stanford, you’re in for some inspiring words. In part, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. … Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
Derry and I were in NYC for the annual Parkinson’s Unity Walk. Being so close to the Apple store on Fifth, we had to visit yet again. Such fantastic architecture and design, almost temple of Apple-like.
I’m back from MacWorld in San Francisco. Rich told me that I missed a 15+ inches of snowfall while away, but a new storm is on now on route.
Leaving snowy NJ
Arrived in sunny San Francisco
I'm very happy to be in mild near 70 degree weather
We went to Baker Beach to take some pictures.
So Macworld … Each session I took was iPad related. The best was a class on using the iPad on the road for business. Good, good stuff. I’ll share more of the good tips I learned once I get caught up with work (I wrote most of this while away). I was happy to see that many of the apps that I’m particularly fond of are ones recommended, and I learned of some new ones.
Andy Ihnatko teaching a very helpful ipad session
I think it was three years ago that Derry and I took a bus trip to the Golden Gate Bridge. Andy Ihnatko was also on the various buses heading to the same place. We all ended up in the same area and started swapping cameras to get pictures with each other. It was fun, but I afterward always felt kind of like a goofball about how poorly I handled the situation. Instead of simply introducing myself and saying something like, “I’ve always found your columns to be very helpful,” I said nothing to him while on the bus as I didn’t want to seem like some groupie gushing over him (as every year at MacWorld, he attracts the many who seem to be stalking him a la rock star). At each Macworld, he always teaches very helpful sessions and we often attend them. Every time I see him I say I think about apologizing for my lack of tact, but never do as I’m sure I’m long since gone from his memory. It’s funny how it’s not long gone from my memory, but goofball things tend to stick. But, message to self: If I ever see someone I recognize on a bus, plane, or train, and the person is alone and appears to be heading to the same place I am, I will say hi.
a paper monster - or is that obvious
Some miscellaneous shots from the show. I’ll add that I do miss the days when Steven Jobs gave his keynote. I remember in 2007 when the iPhone was announced and being part of the collective stunned silence as everyone watched the demonstration with their mouths dropped open to the floor. It seemed like magic. Now touch screens are commonplace. It’s no wonder the ipad took off as it did (and, as an aside, I tend to think of that gadget as magic). I am amazed at how many ipads I saw not only at the show, but throughout San Francisco. Even on the plane it seemed more people had one than didn’t.
I can't resist the Apple store
Another outing was to the Computer History Museum in Mountainview. What a cool place! I’ll blog about it soon and also share some pictures I took from the plane. The snow-covered country was quite a sight! I also have a journal I made using watercolor paper and various digital prints. I’ll get that up soon, too.
Back to MacWorld from February. One of the highlights was attending the Photoshop 20th anniversary presentation. It was hosted by David Biedny, who is an author, expert, and top educator (he’s on the right). The event included Jerry Harris, who was the co-author of PixelPaint and responsible for the “brushing engine” in Photoshop 7 (he’s in the center). Also joining was Russell Brown, who is senior creative director of Adobe and always a fabulous, albeit zany, instructor. It was informative seeing the evolution of the program and lots of laughs.
Photoshop 1.o. Wow! It’s so young. Who would think it would evolve into what it is today. I cannot fathom where it will be in another 20 years.
Back at the show. And there He is, larger than life, showing off the next great thing. And, wow, is it!
Nothing makes an Englishman happier than football (soccer to us in the US) and more proud than seeing England showing on the ad.
Some shots from around the area.
Next up we went to the deYoung Museum at the Golden Gate Park to primarily see the “Amish Abstractions” show, an exhibit of 48 quilts from the collection of Faith and Stephen Brown.
Photography was not allowed inside the exhibit, but the guard was okay with this one. The quilts ranged in all sizes and were made during the period of the 1880s through the 1940s. Living in central NJ, I visited Amish country in Pennsylvania many times. Thus, the quilts were all very familiar. However, seeing them in a museum setting was quite inspiring. I can only imagine what the makers of the quilts would have thought having their work being display at an art museum. Very cool. The show runs through June 6th, and more information about it is here.
You are allowed to photograph other works in the museum. This piece stopped me in my tracks. It’s called “Hovor II” by El Anatsui and was made in 2004. It is made with woven aluminum bottle cops and copper wire. It’s amazing to look at and the color seems to change with every direction.
A close up.
Outside of the museum, there is a wall filled with names of various museum benefactors. I loved how the sunlight and reflections were playing with the surface.
After leaving the museum, we hailed a cab to take us to the Marin County side of the Golden Gate. The sun was starting to set, and I had always wanted to take some pictures from that high up area. The cab driver drove us up, and I took the above photo through his front window.
We made it, and the lighting was great. We both took a lot of photos.
It was a popular spot for photographers, and tripods were lined up in many areas.
One person was being photographed doing various yoga poses while standing on a stump. I couldn’t resist snapping off a couple pictures.
I did a digital painting of the above image that I hope ends up in an art quilt. If nothing else, I’ll print it on watercolor paper.
Of course the big thing when you’re driven up to take pictures is realizing that there are no taxis to bring you back down, so we made the hike …
and walked under the bridge to get to the other side.
Resting before the trek back.
It was a very pretty sunset.
This image includes some layer blends to give it a bit more drama. Generally there are many people walking on the bridge. This evening there were only a few.
Eventually we made it to the other side of this magical area.
Wondering why my phone is sitting in a bag of rice?
Whenever I’m wearing jeans, I tend to slip my phone into my back pocket. It fits great and is always handy. More than once while in the bathroom, my phone fell out of the pocket. Each time it fell out, I told myself I was lucky it only feel on the floor.
Last week I was in San Francisco for MacWorld. Jeans were my staple item of clothing, and my phone stayed in my back pocket. Until it was suddenly out of my pocket. What happened you wonder? Think porcelain throne. And in a nano-second my hand was in that water plucking out the phone. I immediately dried it off, held my breath, and turned it on. Nothing. Total darkness. I then plugged it in. Still dead. I used a blow dryer on it. Still dead. The Apple store was nearby. At worst, I could buy a new phone. But I really didn’t want to buy another, especially with rumors of a new model coming in June.
When I told Derry, my business and MacWorld partner, he immediately started searching the Internet for possible cures. He read me several stories of woe. Phones being dropped in the tub. Phones going through the wash cycle. Phones falling into a swimming pool. Most common were stories like mine – phones falling into a toilet. We went through several different sites and read various stories and fixes. Common to all was allowing the phone to completely dry however you can — that includes using a blow dryer or a heater. There were also stories of leaving the phone in a bag of rice. One person, whose phone went through an entire wash cycle, actually resuscitated his phone after it was in a bag of rice for a week.
That evening I left the phone on the grill of the baseboard heater. In the morning when I went to retrieve the phone, I didn’t see it. It fell and wedged itself into a very tight area of the heater. Using a butter knife and patience, I got the phone got. I plugged the phone in. There was the Apple logo, and it was starting up. I felt excitement. But then the logo faded to darkness and my excitement drained.
Next up, finding rice. Being in San Francisco, the Rice-A-Roni town, we knew we could quickly find a bag of rice. The first corner store we popped into, we immediately found rice. We put the phone in the bag of rice, shoved it onto the grill of the baseboard heater, and left it there all day and night. In the morning, I took the phone out of the bag. Here’s a tip: If you ever need to get rice to rescue your phone, get the long grain kind so that you’re not using tweezers to pick out little pieces that manage to wedge itself into the connectors.
Success!
Once the rice was removed, I plugged it in and turned it on. There was the Apple logo. I waited. It started up. Wow! I made some phone calls. It worked. Very happily, I returned the phone to the back pocket of my jeans. Throughout the day I’d take it out, turn it on, and exhale as it kept working. Return the phone to the back pocket of my jeans, you wonder? Did I not learn anything? Thus far, I’m being careful. However, a hip little phone bag is most likely in my future.
Today was another day of informative and inspiring sessions. The first was with Lesa King was taught “graphic secrets for creatives using Photoshop.” She is the authos of Photoshop CS4, The Missing Manual, published by O’Reilly.
The next was with Deke McClelland. Deke is considered one of the top Photoshop “guru’s” – along with Scott Kelby and some others popular in NAPP circles. His session was on Photoshop CS4, going over the new features that make an upgrade worth the money. He also has several published titles with O’Reilly.
The final session was a panel discussion called “digital art pioneers and trendsetters.” Above is Jeremy Sutton (and me) next to an incredible painting he did of Barack Obama called “The Speech.” He also signed a smaller version of the art for me (which I’m thrilled about). Jeremy’s artwork is very recognizable with its vivid colors and bold brush style, and he’s a clear master of his digital tools, with Corel’s Painter program being a favorite. If you’d like to obtain a limited edition poster of “The Speech,” visit his site here.
Jeremy was born in London (received a degree in physics from Cambridge) and now lives in San Francisco. He teaches classes on using Corel. While I’ve not taken any of his long workshops, I have taken some of his shorter sessions. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend a class with him. He teaches with gusto and treats everyone with with a sincere interest in who they are and how what he teaches may be beneficial. He also loves dancing and will often treat the class with a soft shoe should there be the time.
The panel was hosted by Rob MacDonald who is the project manage for Corel Corp. Included was Bruce Dorn, Andrew Jones, Jason Manly, and Fay Sirkis. Each are incredible artists creating jaw-dropping work.
If the work wasn’t enough, my eyes widened when I saw the Wacom tablet belonging to Andrew Jones (shown above standing). He added a guitar strap to his tablet, and he modified it to musically respond to his pen stylus stroke. He does digital live paintings at concerts (he also has, among other things, worked for George Lucas at Industrial Light and Magic and has his art is on the cover of Corel Painter X).
Each artist shared how they got involved in working in a digital media, what trends they see, and they addressed the misconception that digital art isn’t real art. That discussion focused on how we are on the cusp of a paradigm shift and how with each shift comes questions and doubt from others. Bruce discussed how traditional galleries have always been behind the times when showing artwork. Faye gave a quick but fascinating overview of art throughout various stages in history and how technology played a role in the tools used for the creation of art. She explained, for example, how Vermeer (born 1632) used a “camera obscura,” a lens-like device that helped produce perspective. The chain of events continued to today’s use of digital tools.
They weren’t suggesting that traditional media is going away, but rather than there is a powerful array of digital tools that artists can use. And, just because you have digital tools doesn’t mean you are instantly an artist. They weren’t talking about using various filter recipes to create one look or another look, they were talking about using the tools as a way to further your passion and to authentically create — no different than using a charcoal or a machine stitch.
I was absolutely awestruck by the artwork they shared, and I left the session feeling very energized and very good that my work is taking the direction it is. It is exciting to witness how digital technology is changing our world and how we incorporate it into our artwork.
Tomorrow is the last day of the show … more to follow …
Another day at MacWorld. I took three sessions. The first was from Ben Chen, a photographer from Southern California, on “DVD montage on the go.” It focused on creating a “live DVD” primarily for wedding photography. He spoke about the need for an excellent digital assistant who would be one step behind the photographer. Once the photographer was finished in one area, for example, shooting the bride getting ready, the assistant would collect those cards, import the photos into the computer, and begin sorting them. The goal was at the end of the night there would be a DVD to present at the reception. Part of the class covered workflow, preparing things ahead of time – such as the music and graphics – and so on. While this isn’t for me, there was one tidbit of information I found extremely useful: The issue of music and copyright. Obviously using someone’s music is a copyright violation. But, get this: If you publish something with YouTube using a particularly piece of music, you immediately get an email from them stating that you are using so and so’s piece of copyrighted music. Then it extends permission to use this music. In turn, you allow others to view and republish your video clip. This is under something called “Universal Music Group and YouTube Forge Strategic Partnership” which came into effect October 2006. Thus, if you first publish on YouTube, you can then republish on your website without fear of copyright infringement. Excellent to know!
I took a session with Derrick Story on working more efficiently in Photoshop CS4. It was geared to photographers, with tips on importing, sorting, cataloging, correcting (if needed), and, eventually working in Photoshop, if needed. Another words, it took full advantage of Camera Raw and Bridge. I’m fluent with both so this session was much better suited for my needs. A great thing to learn in this was that metadata (copyright information) is no longer stripped in the Save for Web function.
On the show floor, many others were giving shorter sessions. Bert Monroy, was at the Peachpit booth. I’ve taken many classes with him over the years and highly recommend him. He does the most incredible artwork using Photoshop and Illustrator as his tools. He’s light years ahead of anything I’m capable of, but he is incredibly inspiring.
I then took a session with Rick Smolan, Harold David, Derrick Story, and Amit Gupta. It was the best session of the bunch, covering “the state of the art of digital photography” with each speaker talking about his take on things. Rick Smolan (that’s him on the left – bad photo, I know) spoke about his “Day in the Life” series of books. He approached some 35 publishers who all turned down his idea. Eventually a publisher accepted his idea, and some several million copies later, the series continues.
Derrick Story talked about various hardware. Many people often ask what’s a good small camera to use rather for those times when you don’t want to carry around a heavy DSLR. He answered: The Canon G9, the Canon G10, and the Panasonic LX3. They shoot RAW, decent video,and each has a good lens. The caveat is that the ISO shouldn’t go over 400 because of excess noise. Good to know.
Harold Davis talked about trends. He sees two: The ISO in DSLRs being so high that flash will no longer be used except for special effects (I’m a fan of fill flash and don’t plan on giving flash up anytime soon <g>); and photography being merged into a new art through combining digital photography and manipulation. However, many of us quilt makers and mixed media artists already know the power of digital tools! Amit Gupta from Photojojo talked about some of his favorite finds. I liked the bottle cap tripod and the white balance lens cap. Fun stuff.
In the middle of sessions, there is a huge area in the West building to relax.
Moscone at night … tomorrow is another day with more classes. I’m particularly looking forward to another panel session with digital artists.
