Collapsus Reflection

This assignment involved playing an online interactive trans-media game entitled Collapsus.  This game highlighted peak oil use and the problems bound to occur with its usage.  Below is a link to my audio reflection of the game & trans-media work in general, enjoy.


Collapsus Reflection

Reflection on gaming Presentation

Hello friends & readers of Rush Delivery.  In today’s blog I’ll be discussing my video game design presentation & some strengths/weaknesses that I found after the presentation.

            One tough concept to explain was the game mechanics.  Even though I could be as detailed as possible, someone unfamiliar with video or computer games may not fully comprehend certain aspects of the game mechanics.  For example when I say the mouse controls the character I do not mean it moves him from place to place, it allows you to select interactive elements of the game.  The arrow keys are what actually make your character walk and move around.  This could have been better explained with a short demo if I had the knowledge and ability to make one.

            Another area of confusion could have been the goals of the game.  Seemingly the easiest part of the game to understand, it was not as easy as I thought.  Because our game was a virtual reality game, reminiscent of the Sims, the goals are very broad.  The main goal is to upgrade your house, or cave for our purposes, and your character.  This again could be a hard concept to grasp if one isn’t familiar with the Sims or other virtual reality games.

            I think of all the qualities a game must have the easiest to understand are the objectives of the game.  Although a game’s objectives can range depending on the type of game you’re playing its simple if all you need to figure out is the overall objective.  For example, even if you’ve never played Mario before, if someone tells you the objective is to finish the level you would know what they meant.  Or if you were watching a game of Call of Duty and you ask what’s the objective, I could say it’s to accumulate the most kills and reach the determine kill count first & you could understand.

Hero & Villain

We were assigned a project to design our own hro and villain duo.  They had to complement each other in look, skill, and shape.  Here is our designs.

Mr. MoneyBag$ (Hero)

The Tax Man (villain)

The Freak Factor

Hello again friends! & welcome back to Rush Delivery.  In today’s blog I have been asked to read an article titled Freak Factor: Discovering Uniqueness by Flaunting Weakness by David Rendall.  This article can be found hereà Freak Factor by David Rendall

            Rendall begins his article by making you identify your own personal weaknesses.  By knowing what your weaknesses are you can begin to correct them, or as Rendall says in point number two use them to configure your strengths.  He lays it out in three well said points.

§  Weaknesses give important clues to your strengths.

§  You find success when you find the right fit.

§  Your weaknesses make you unique.

All three points are excellent explanations about finding your right place that I would never have thought of.  These are also a perfect segway into Rendall’s third point.  For each weakness we have an equal strength that applies, they are linked.  A few examples Rendall uses in his manifesto would be having the strength of patience also gives you the weakness of indecision, or the strength of positivity gives you the weakness of being unrealistic. 

      Rendall then gives some examples of such weaknesses earning great success for some.  Such as Virgin founder Richard Branson having dyslexia yet becoming the president of a record/cellphone/airline company.  He now owns his own island and is free to invest in such ventures as a jet that takes civilians into the atmosphere for short trips, although it’s still in the works.  Rendall also explains how disorganization isn’t always negative as we’re told.  Alexander Fleming found penicillin while searching through his messy desk after vacation.  If he wasn’t unorganized millions of people today would suffer due to the lack of penicillin.

      Rendall’s fourth and fifth points are about fixing your weaknesses.  His advice; forget them.  We waste our time and energy trying to fix what’s wrong with us when we should be focusing on boosting our strengths.  Trying to fix a weakness just makes you frustrated and even if you are able to fix it doesn’t become a usable strength.  Working on improving our strengths is easy and enjoyable, they’re our natural gifts and our best route to success as Rendall points out.

      His sixth point applies the same principal; don’t try to do both.  It’s much easier to improve upon what we already know and like and vice versa it’s tiresome and painful to work on something we hate.  Also trying to do both is too consuming in a world where everything is hustle bustle.  His seventh point advises us to pick our battles.  If you know you’re not great at math don’t become an architect, try being a producer instead.  Finding the right fit as Rendall puts it will help you improve your strengths and gain confidence.

      Rendall’s eighth point is about the power of uniqueness.  Being a freak isn’t something to be ashamed of; it means you possess something no one else does.  Rendall uses the example of the leaning tower of Pisa on how its imperfections over the years and numerous attempts at being fixed ultimately lead to it becoming a huge tourist attraction.  His final point is titled putting your quirks to work and he lays it out in four excellent points.

§  Pick situations that maximize your strengths.

§  Instead of procrastinating on things you hate just don’t do them all together.

§  Partner up with someone that is strong where you are weak.

§  Look for the freak in others.

Rendall’s first point of discovering your weaknesses is a perfect starting place.  I find this to be a key part of any plan.  If you know your weaknesses before you begin it will be easier to tackle the task at hand if the right positions are assigned to the right people, which is a perfect example of how to use it in a group project you may have in school.  His third point is also helpful.  If you are stuck on your weaknesses and just can’t get around it find what strength corresponds to it.  That’s a perfect way to realize what you should go after if you are unsure of yourself.  This would be a great tool for a student unsure about selecting their classes for next quarter.  Finally I feel Rendall’s fourth point of forget about your weaknesses to be the most helpful.  This is something people struggle with all the time when the answer is easy; forget about them.  A weakness can be easily concealed when your strength overpowers it.

In the creative world I have found my strengths to be useful.  I’m good at sparking initial ideas, as well as adding on to others ideas.  I’m also good at researching past ideas and using it to exemplify a current idea.  My weaknesses are I am easily frustrated when my ideas are shot down, although I do not take offense.       

Super Power

For this week's assignment we were told to listen to an epsiode of This American Life pertaining to superheroes then select a superhero/power ourselves and provide a short audio response as to why we would want said power, what we would do with it, & whether or not we can relate to said superhero.

The Flash

My Audio Response to the Flash

Link to This American Life episode concerning Super powers

Video Joke Reflection

Hello again friends and welcome back to Rush Delivery.  This is a reflection of the joke videos which you can find below.

Joke #1

Joke #2

Our first video was a Star Wars themed take on the joke assigned to us.  To give ourselves a good contrast we used a 1930s black and white themed video, with the saloon style piano and speed up shots to give it that old time feels.

            When looking at the movement found in both joke interpretations we see a few differences.  In the first clip movement is used in the establishing shot to make it seem as though Mike Skywalker, the protagonist, is appearing out of nowhere via the alley.  It’s also used to show the cars zooming towards each other right before the crash, which helps builds tension.  The second clip also uses this shot, with the bikes coming directly at the screen, again giving you the illusion both characters are moving fast and it opposite directions.  We also had our main character moving right to left throughout the clip, while the female character moves left to right.  This also makes you feel like the two our veering inevitably towards one another.

           We also used line when deciding on where we should film and how we wanted to guide the audience.  In the first clip line is used in the second scene, outside of the store.  The handrails direct your eyes to the left showing where our hero plans to continue onward.  It is also evident in the second clip in the scenes depicting our two characters traveling.  As one moves from right to left and the other from left to right, virtual lines signify that they are moving opposite of each other and will eventually collide.

            Contrast and affinity played a large role in our joke renditions.  Both clips contrasted each other because of the cinematic style we chose to follow.  Since the first clip is based on Star Wars we used the scrolling text at the intro, appropriately themed music throughout, and our character had mind powers because he was a Jedi.  The second clip had saloon piano and numerous sped up/slowed down shots to give it that old time feel.  The affinity plays into storyline because both clips were based off the same joke.  There had to be a crash, there had to be a male and female character, and there had to be a bottle of alcohol involved.      

            Tension and release was used in both joke versions.  In the first joke we build tension via the music that gains volume and intensity as the scene develops, ending with a more relaxed version of the same tune when Mike puts the girl back in her car.  In the second clip tension is built as both characters bike aimlessly on the streets, yet because of the shots used you feel like they may collide at some point.     

Joke Videos

Here is my group's video interpretations of a joke we selected involving a man, woman, and a car accident.  The first piece has a Star Wars influence while the second coul feature Charlie Chaplin as the starring role. Enjoy.

Joke #1

Joke #2

Big Lebowski Scene Critique

Video Game Critique

Fable 2

Re-imaging Visual Framing

Hello friends and welcome back to Rush Delivery. In today’s blog I have selected an image by the artist Roy Lichtenstein after looking through many other works by him as well as other famous artists. I then cropped it a bit and will discuss some the differences between the two.

To begin I originally liked the image I selected because it has an extreme close up shot that creates a lot of visual intensity between the two subjects.  There is also some great perceived lines that you get from the male giving the female a strange look out of the corner of his eye. 

            When it came time to reframe the image I chose to clip out the girl and focus strictly on the male of the photo.  Just the image of him gives off a strong tension leaving you waiting for the release half of things.  There is also a nice visual framing of the man created by the front windshield, although the diagonal streaks on the windshield may make you want to look elsewhere in the picture the speed lines on the outside of the vehicle draw your attention right back to the gentleman.

            When Mr. Lichtenstein had drawn the image for the first time you can tell he was aiming for a certain text and subtext between the characters.  There’s clearly some type of conflict going on between them possibly because they are a couple or maybe the man has kidnapped the girl because she looks quite angry.  Roy also used a nice contrast in choosing the colors of his characters making the woman wear yellow and the man blue with the background of the red car.  All these different selections come from opposite ends of the color wheel making for a very active picture to go along with the inferred emotions at play. 

My Song Project

Heres the song for my music presentation, sorry about the delay.

Song Project

Song Reflections

Here is a couple audio reflections of some of my classmates song project.  Enjoyed listening to them all!

Jason Butler's Song


Kevin Crowder's Song


James Myer's Song

My Audio Reflection on Soundscapes

I listened to a few of my classmates soundscapes and recorded a short audio blog of each.  Each is numbered with it's creators name next to it.  Sorry but you have to download the files to listen to them, I have a PC and therefore had to use a basic recording program instead of GarageBand.

Peter Hauptman's Soundscape


Peter Fumosa's Soundscape


Jessica Rovniak's Soundscape

I am the lizard King, I can do anything

A quote from Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors.  Something I’ve never really understood until reading Brainwashed by Seth Godin, an article that challenges you to challenge yourself, and your teachers, and your parents, and whoever else you can name.   Brainwashed by Seth Godin

           When Godin writes about acknowledging the Lizard he’s talking about silencing the voice inside your head.  You know the one.  The voice that tells you you’re going to bomb the test even though you’ve been studying for days; that makes you give up and walk away instead of going through with a high rick situation.  The lizard is what gives us fear about not succeeding or doubt over a personal creation, and it’s not until we overcome this doubt that personal success can be found.

              Failing is another idea Godin presents to us in his article.  Also an important step of success, failure helps guide us to find what we are looking for.  Scientists and inventors like Einstein and Edison tried and failed for years before successfully making ideas like the Theory of Relativity or the phonograph come to pass.  It takes work and time to construct something of your own, sometimes the only way to learn this is to for an idea of yours to fail miserably just so you can start all over again with a new view of how to improve your idea/yourself.

             The ideas mentioned above can be applied to many things in the life of your average college student, take this blog for example.  I’m acknowledging the lizard because I’m writing and posting whatever it is I feel.  So what about doing it to get a grade or for other people to read, I put whatever I want to in my writing because that’s what I truly believe and nobody can change that.  This blog is graded so I must have everything turned in by a certain time and meet a certain criteria so in that aspect the Lizard has won.  Does that make me a better student for having completed these requirements; I would say so, but a better person or artist I doubt it.  As for failing I won’t know until I receive my grade for this post but I would definitely have learned a lesson if I do fail and I would probably get some info on what I did wrong/how to rectify those problems.

For a minute, I lost myself....

Hello friends and welcome back to Rush Delivery.  Today I will be comparing/contrasting 2 songs.  One original and the other a cover of said original they shall both be judged by criteria consisting of quality, timbre, rhythm, and a jumble of other terms used in class.  The song I chose is:

Karma Police – Radiohead-àhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uYWYWPc9HU

And the cover:

Karma Police - Easy Star All-Starsàhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edNNvg-NBzY

            I have always loved everything Radiohead has come out with. Thom Yorke is a lyrical genius and Johnny Greenwood is an incredibly talented guitarist and musical arranger.  First looking at the lyrics of both tunes it’s clear they are the same (no wonder, it’s a cover song).  However they do differentiate in the way the lyrics are presented.  Radiohead gives the song a very mellow vibe due to Yorke’s falsetto tones and almost hypnotic voice.  Radiohead also does a great job with very soft and harmonic background vocals by keeping it to very simple vocal patterns such as the “oooooohhs” during the chorus.  Easy Star All-Star’s approach is very similar keeping an overall relaxed mood with a slightly harsher tone found in lead singer’s (Shelton Garner Jr.) voice.

            Karma police has a very slow and steady rhythm in both versions.  In the original performance Radiohead keeps things moving with a consistently droning bass backed by a slow steady 4/4 beat on the drums.  This really gives the song a slow-steady pacing feel, making it relaxing and intriguing.  The Easy Star All-Stars keep the steady pace but give the tune a completely new feel using their unique sound blending reggae and rock.  The riddim is set by the light poppy drums and the bass highlighting the 1^st and 3^rd beats.  They also add in the “skank” guitar commonly found in reggae, which brings out the 2^nd and 4^th beats making it hard to not swing your hips to.

            The song’s level of intensity rises and falls about the same in each band’s rendition.  There’s a nice rotation of verse/chorus/verse/chorus that slowly and surely builds until climaxing right before the bridge, which is the mellowest section of the song.  Radiohead drops all instruments except Yorke’s acoustic guitar and a piano only to bring the band right back, giving you a nice contrasting sound.  Easy Star has the same idea, but instead of leaving in some sound they drop out everything but the lyrics before taking it to the bridge, where the electric organ drives the rhythm.      

            An interesting comparison between the two is each band’s use of timbre.  Radiohead utilizes a very clean cut repertoire of instruments for this song, which is not their usual plan.  Keeping everything clean and steady allows Yorke’s voice to emulate the emotions they’re trying to convey.  When looking at Easy Star however we see a different story.  Right off the bat you can hear an organ being run through a myriad of effect pedals, as well as an echoed guitar, and a bottom-boosted bass.  Also later in the song horns come bursting in at an octave or two higher than normal meaning more manipulation of timbre.

            In both versions tension and release play a major role.  The entire song creates tension continuously until the bridge.  Radiohead achieves this by adding a soothing melodic piano right before kicking it to the bridge and starting those infamous lyrics of “for a minute, I lost myself.”  Easy Star uses the same principal by keeping the guitar skank and therefore the main rhythm right before the bridge.

            The final comparison is in active and didactic sound qualities, but mainly active.  Both bands use active sounds throughout the song to keep the pace moving and have the melody continuous.  Not too much didactic sound found in either version.

            I love both versions of the jam as well as both bands but as for my winner I choose the Easy Star All-Star’s rendition.  The heavy bass and reggae drums are something I am obsessed with and who doesn’t love the beautiful skank of a twangy, echoed guitar?  As a huge reggae follower I feel that any cover done by the Easy Star All-Star’s is always done with taste, originality, feel, and excellent musicianship.        

Soundscape

Soundscape can be found via Will's blog, at Will's Blogisphere, under the soundscape post.

Breakthrough

Hello friends!  In this week’s blog I’ve been asked to give a brief summary of Mr. Mitch Ditkoff’s article entitled “14 Ways to Get Breakthrough ideas.”  Which can be located hereà  Mitch Ditkoff - 14 ways     

   Mitch begins with something I’ve always agreed with in saying to achieve a breakthrough you must care about or enjoy.  Follow your fascination as Ditkoff puts it is a necessary step to any and all who wish to create an idea that is truly original or a breakthrough. 

    The second step of Ditkoff’s process is simply immerse, something rarely seen in today’s world of non-stop multi-tasking on blackberries, Ipads, and smartphones.  To become inspired to the point of having a successful breakthrough you must know all there is to know about your topic, or else how are you to know that your breakthrough has not already been done by someone else?  

The third step in creating a breakthrough idea is very difficult and stubborn, and is usually the one that frustrates me most.  Tolerating ambiguity is rough particularly after you have overworked ideas a hundred times, been at it for hours or days, and are about at breaking point.  Its times like these when your ability to power through and realize the trials and tribulations are almost as equally important as the creation of a new idea. 

Next up to the plate on Ditkoff’s agenda is making new connections.  Important for anybody looking for inspiration or a fresh idea, meeting new people and discussing ideas with them will almost always give you a new outlook on the situation.  If the only input you get is from your friends or colleagues you will always be getting the same feedback.  Go find someone new with no previous connection to you and try on their suggestions for size.

Something most of us forget is even a tool when lacking creative thought, fantasizing is an excellent way to jumpstart the brain and get new vibes flowing.  An activity I always associated with youth when I used to daydream all the time, fantasy can be a great way to not only give yourself a break on what could be a tedious and tiresome project it may also be the creative key to unlocking your breakthrough idea.

Sometimes the answer is the true problem at all but the question which you’re trying to answer.  Defining the right challenge is something I have failed to do multiple times in the past.  Whether it’s because I rushed past it to get started on solving the problem, or because I didn’t really understand the dilemma from the beginning  asking yourself the right question is imperative to achieving success on a new and creative idea.

(Steps seven and eight go hand-in-hand in my book so I’ve decided to group them together)  Listening to your subconscious can change your entire game plan on a whim and end up paying off with a one-way ticket on the gravy train.  Gut feeling is what helps us tackle problems in which we know little, so take it up a notch to an idea you’ve been working and examining.  With prior knowledge and adoration for the topic you know your immediate thoughts will we well guided.  While listening to your subconscious it’s always good to realize when it’s telling you to take a break.  Relaxing and taking your mind off the clock for a little will pay off tenfold the next time you step back to the issue.

Step number nine in Ditkoff’s article is to notice and challenge existing patterns and trends.  I would not consider this a necessary step in the breakthrough process because sometimes the greatest ideas to be had are improvements on existing solutions.  It is important to be able to know and identify trends and patterns but sometimes the best way to ensure success is to coattail an existing innovation and improve upon it.

                Ditkoff’s tenth and eleventh points are also similar.  Hanging out with diverse groups of people and brainstorming are always a god method at getting some new insight and obscure insight into an idea that could end up twisting it around into something completely new.  Brainstorming is something I’ve been taught since high school and has been the key to some of my best projects and papers yet.

The twelfth step of looking for happy accidents is definitely something to consider but not what I would say is worth dedicating too much time too.  I’ve always considered myself to possess terrible luck as it has been proven many times so I would guess that I’m more likely to run into the colossal failure than the happy accident.

Ditkoff closes his article with the interesting points of using creative thinking techniques and suspending logic, which both run a similar line.  Both are skills possessed many great thinkers of our time and are necessary to create a truly groundbreaking idea.

For the final step of today’s blog I am to answer a prompt from one of Ditkoff’s points.  I’ve chosen Mitch’s 5^th step, fantasize.  The prompt given is Think of a current challenge of yours.  What would a fantasy to this challenge look like? What clues does this fantasy solution give you?

A major problem occurring in my life now can be easily described, accounting 101.  I have never been a math or logic oriented person and I have yet to find the secret to it.  A possible fantasy solution would be to possess a calculator possible of given me the answers to problems by me merely speaking to it, or a pencil that is along the same lines.  Sadly such a solution gives me no clues or resolution about my real problem but it does offer some small humor and sometimes laughter is the key.

We want the Funk

For our 1st assigned blog entry we are to tell you a little about are creative-selves and what inspires us.  My name is Chris Rush, I'm a student at Ohio University going for a media management, not necessarily a degree offering a lot of creative opportunities so I make time for them in other ways.  I'm a bass player in a band (& occasionally in another one too) making music one of my main outlets for creativity.  I love all types of music other than country really, but my personal favorites are reggae and funk.  Both contain styles and moods found only in their respective genres so I'll give the the lowdown on some of my more preferred bands.

Maggot Brain
George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic are considered to be the Godfathers of Funk, not an easy title to have bestowed on someone.  They frequently use Active and Didactic sounds throughout their pieces. Using my example of Maggot Brain George and the gang intro in with some enlightening words although disguised as some heavy thinking material. "Mother earth is pregnant for the 3rd time, ya'll knocked her up" is their way of saying we are mistreating our planet and fellow humans, shortly after they kick it to the active sectionof the song with a raging 8 minute guitar solo sure to keep any music fan entertained.

Easy Star All Stars - Time
The next artist I've selected is a somewhat newer band on the reggae scene, but they're making quite the name for themselves with their amazing covers. Easy Star All Stars are a modern reggae act with the classic roots sound taken to a whole new level. By covering entire albums such as Dark Side of theMoon, Sgt. Pepper, and Radiohead's self-titled album they present a contrast and affinity you rarely hear.  Their ability to take any genre of music and give it an island roots twist yet maintain the same integrity and overall feel of the song is incredible.

Rebelution - Bright Side of Life
My last choice of artist is another reggae oriented band, but they pack more of a rock/hype-up feel to them. Rebelution is another newer band to the scene but they have already carved out a nice niche for themselves as the new hard rockers of reggae.  Using amazing text and subtext in their lyrics they sing about problems facing modern society in one song and their way of taking care of it in the next, and best of all they throw in some amazing guitar work and rhythms that are aggressive when making you dance.

Enjoy.

Test Page

http://mdia203wingard.blogspot.com/

The Beginning...

This is the first blog I have ever written so I'll call it my guinea-blog, enjoy.  In the land of the blind the man with one eye is king.